Improving Advanced Education and Training to Prepare Tomorrow’s High-tech Workforce

Preparing today for tomorrow's workforce

Industry executives reveal significant disruptions in technology have already transformed industry sectors, from automation systems, lasers, computer-generated mechanisms and machine production and shipping. As technologies continue to rapidly evolve, Forward’s blueprint cautions the need to better prepare today for the radically changing workforce demands and the future role of education. 

Leaning on the expertise of job creators and employers, WV Forward has joined forces with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative to help determine best practices to advanced education and training to conform to a high-tech workforce. To ensure the state charts a path to economic prosperity, West Virginia must expand its prepared workforce – retaining talent and cultivating an educational system that fosters the essential skills needed meet the demands of a changing workforce landscape.

Emerging from leadership exchanges with the Hunt Institute, job creators, entrepreneurs, policy experts and community leaders, evidence-based research, surveys and evolving discussions are underway to help implement innovative policies and practices that can drive West Virginia’s economy.

Focus Forward Takaways

Employers and experts concur that success in the future workforce directly ties to lifelong learning and workers’ willingness to continue professional development and training throughout their careers. And though industry needs will continue to evolve, there is a consensus that not all will be as affected by machine learning, such as those that require a strong human connection, creativity, improvisation, complex problem solving in certain environments and leadership skills.

While higher education and West Virginia policies are moving in the right direction, there is also an agreement more needs to be done to meet West Virginians where they are, particularly to engage and retain nontraditional and first-generation students, rural students, veterans and those who live in underrepresented areas across the state.

By heeding to economic statistics and job creators, government and policy experts must work together to advance education and training to produce the in-demand skillsets employers need to hire West Virginians.

Focus Forward lessons learned

• The “hollowing out” of the middle class has widened the pay gap and has established severe limitations on resilience of the lower and middle classes to adapt to changes in the workforce;
  
• The college premium “inoculates” trained and educated workers so that they withstand periods of high unemployment rates, which is likely to continue as artificial intelligence and machine learning impact both lower- and middle-class jobs;
  
• A need exists in economic development to create “clusters” in regions of West Virginia to attract industries that attract more economic development;
  
• Pairing industries with educational institutions creates a natural pathway for students to move into the workplace, as well as to encourage lifelong learning; and
  
• The jobs of tomorrow have job descriptions that do not exist today.

Legislators’ Forum on Education and the Economy

Hosted by the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative, the Legislators’ Forum is an annual event to invite West Virginia legislators to join a future-facing conversation about educational issues, policies, challenges, funding and more.

The Forum is sponsored by West Virginia University, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and numerous community partners.
Learn more at wvpec.com.