Workforce Education & Training
“86% of West Virginia Northern Community College’s students live in the region after graduation.” - Dr. Martin Olshinsky, President, WVNCC
“Our partnership with WVNCC allowed us to establish and implement custom training programs during a short period of time." - Jim Simms, President and General Manager, Wheeling Island Racetrack, Hotel & Casino
Notable colleges and universities on the I-70 Corridor between Pittsburgh and Columbus:
Art Institute of Pittsburgh/p>
Carnegie Mellon University
Duquesne University
Point Park University
University of Pittsburgh
West Virginia University/p>
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Wheeling Jesuit University
Bethany College
West Liberty University
Waynesburg College
Ohio University Eastern College
West Virginia Northern Community College
Belmont Technical College
Jefferson Community College
“People in the Ohio Valley work hard, and Wheeling has proven to be a great place to recruit talent. We have the ability to find the skill sets whether they are legal, IT, creative or financial.” - Williams Lea
The Governor’s Guaranteed Work Force Program administers training funds to new and existing industries to help them develop their work forces.
RED and West Virginia help design the best possible solution for every employer, coordinating all available state and federal training resources. We facilitate a detailed analysis of labor availability. Using employer-based criteria, companies can obtain:
Free recruitment/p>
Current and future staffing needs assessment
Candidate screening
RED and West Virginia also work with the local community colleges and universities to assist businesses in meeting their work force needs.
RED has organized a consortium of these educational institutions in respect to work force development. The group is working to address current and future work force demands for the region.
GRADUATES FROM THE AREA
Closest Graduate Output
Graduate output suggests moderate ability to sustain an operation in Wheeling, if, the graduate pool can be convinced to stay within the area/p>
On an annual basis, nearly 330 bachelors degrees are awarded in HR, Accounting, and Business/Management in the Wheeling area 4-year institutions and 250 associates degrees from the regional community colleges in the same majors. West Virginia University alone accounts for 185 of the bachelors degrees awarded in HR, Accounting and Business Management
In IT and Applications Development, the regional universities award an estimated 70 bachelors degrees, 55 of which are awarded by WVU. Over 125 associates degrees are awarded in IT and Office Technology by the community college network
Nearly 3,900 bachelors degrees and over 1,500 associates degrees are awarded in the region. WVU in Morgantown accounts for 3,150 of the bachelors degrees awarded. Wheeling Jesuit and Franciscan University are the other two institutions awarding four-year degrees
Wheeling area is experiencing a “brain drain” effect as most graduates migrate to other parts of the country in the absence of appropriate jobs in West Virginia. Reportedly, many graduates would prefer to stay in the region