Nov. 12, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WVSU conference to focus on West Virginia’s changing workforce needs

INSTITUTE, W.Va.–The changing needs of West Virginia’s workforce is the focus of the inaugural Regional Workforce Development Conference Friday, Nov. 16, at West Virginia State University. Regional leaders of industry, business, education and policy will address issues relating to the state’s changing workforce needs in a series of panel discussions focusing on the role of education in preparing the workforce of the future.

Topics include Innovation and the Future, Manufacturing, Natural Resources and Mining, 2+2 Option-building with Community Colleges, Preparing for Graduate/Professional School, and Preparing for the Future.

“This conference will address the questions facing West Virginia in this evolving economy,” says Dr. Orlando F. McMeans, vice president for Research & Public Service at WVSU. “We’ll tackle questions like how the education arena and employers can collaborate to yield a better educated and trained workforce.”

The panels will focus on strengthening collaborations between education and the state’s leading industries, such as technology, manufacturing, natural resources and mining. Focus will be placed on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), forecasted to be among the largest employment need in years to come.

Panellists include representatives from the Higher Education Policy Commission, West Virginia Manufacturers Association, Chemical Alliance Zone, West Virginia Coal Association, Appalachian Power, Charleston Area Alliance, Kanawha County Schools and several others.

Made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation, the Regional Workforce Development Conference is cosponsored by West Virginia State University, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Charleston Area Alliance, West Virginia Manufacturers Association and TechConnect West Virginia.

Visit www.wvstateu.edu for more information and an event schedule.

West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi‐generational institution, located in Institute, WV. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.

-WVSU-