Anecdotally, statistically, and also through community feedback forums, the message keeps coming that the Potomac Highlands region remains almost desperately short of trades workers. Trades workers receive hands-on education to take on jobs that require high levels of skill and pay very well or start a new business.
Melissa Earle, director of Region Eight Planning and Economic Development, introduced Ralph Goolsby, from the same organization. He runs annual community meetings where Region Eight gathers information from community stakeholders about the area’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The council then uses that information to update the regional economic plan.
Earle noted that every year, the community meeting brought to their attention “a lack of skilled workers” so “we as a Region wanted to see what we could do.”
Joining economic development officials from Region Eight were Mineral County Commission President Roger Leatherman, Mayors Betsy Orndoff-Sayers of Wardensville, Scott Fawley of Moorefield, and Vonda Foltz of Bayard. Council members from municipalities came as well. Richard Dennis represented the office of Governor Patrick Morrisey and Greg Greenwalt came from the Hardy County Planning Commission. Kevin Clark, director of the Mineral County Economic Development Authority, also attended.
Some local contractors, including Loy Kesner, shared their concerns and experiences and answered questions from educators and government officials. Helmick shared that he regretted he could not get more perspectives from the private sector.
Administrators also came from the South Branch Career and Technical Center, the Mineral County Technical Center, Hampshire High School, and Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College.
Austin Helmick, program manager for Region Eight, had led the charge to hold a meeting on the topic of workforce and trades. He stated that his goal for the evening lay in “bringing people together so we can share ideas with each other.” With the aforementioned community forums “more of a 10,000 foot level” analysis, Helmick stated that he hoped to gather more specific information and ideas.
Each representative from the school system focused on the programs at their respective schools and successes seen. South Branch serves Grant, Pendleton, and Hardy counties with Mineral County Technical Center taking in students from Keyser and Frankfort. Hampshire High School has its own technical education facility located on campus.
Helmick invited each of these, as well as the workforce education representative from Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, to describe how they serve students. They also shared challenges faced in not only funding, but rigidity on how funding is applied and spent.
Instructors for trades school are difficult to find. Crites stated that they would like to offer plumbing, but cannot find an individual willing to take an extensive cut in salary to do it full time.
Loretta Lawson from Mineral County described challenges to students trying to get into paid internships, many of whom lack steady and reliable transportation. Additionally, she has seen that many of her students struggle to articulate professionally during a job interview.
From EWVCTC came Lauren Arbaugh. She shared that she has seen frustrations when grant aid does not come at convenient times. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito secured $1.5 million in funding for the college to establish a heavy equipment program, but did not help to cover the cost of an instructor. Eventually, Arbaugh tracked down funds to find a teacher. Being “blessed with relationships,” she said, helps with getting the right opportunities for the students in the area.
The college can establish a workforce training program with surprising quickness and agility. Arbaugh also explained that a focus has been made on badges and microcredentials that can be “stacked” to be considered equal to traditional classroom education courses and majors.
