Narrative: III. a. 2. G.

Economic development strategies are primarily formulated and executed by the West Virginia Department of Economic Development. Collaborating closely with entities such as WFWV, CTCs, CTE programs, and higher education institutions, the Department evaluates labor market resources to present to existing and prospective businesses. Throughout the state, West Virginia maintains local economic and community development offices, along with small business development centers. The WDS engages with these local entities to advance economic development efforts. Additionally, all these entities are integral parts of West Virginia's business service model, which fosters collaboration to identify and address the needs of the business community in each workforce region.

Recognizing the changing economic landscape, West Virginia is diversifying its industries, including supporting high growth sectors such as technology, healthcare, tourism and renewable energy, which opens up new opportunities for workforce development. West Virginia has shown resilience in adapting to economic changes, including the decline of certain traditional industries. This adaptability is crucial for workforce development in the face of evolving market demands.

The following is a snapshot of the new business, across diverse industries, locating to West Virginia from the West Virginia Department of Economic Development:

WDS partners work with the economic development team to focus training and education needs to their business recruitment efforts.  The Apprenticeship In Motion (AIM) program promotes and expands registered, nontraditional apprenticeship activity in the Mountain State. This collaborative group of partners identifies, standardizes and develops courses that are needed statewide in order to increase and improve the registered apprenticeship programs within West Virginia.  

The Governor’s Guaranteed Workforce Program also helps business and promotes economic growth through workforce development.  This vital program provides new or expanding companies training funds and technical assistance to support effective employee training strategies. Not limited to new employees, this program targets the business’s entire workforce, training, re-training and upgrading skills across all levels. Since the program’s launch, more than $54 million has been awarded to employers and nearly 200,000 employees have received training.

Another economic development initiative from the Department of Economic Development that connects business to local area workforce development is Opportunity Zones.  Opportunity Zones provide a win-win solution for everyone. Created to support recovery and growth in distressed communities, these zones also provide tax incentives for investors willing to invest in rural and low-income areas. In 2018, the Governor designated various Opportunity Zones in West Virginia that are eligible to receive this private funding for community improvement.  Investors benefit from the real estate or business investments within these areas, while also enjoying tax deferring benefits on any capital gains received from these investments and the support of local area workforce development partners. 

The Career Pathways Committee of the WVWDB is primarily responsible for issues at the intersection of education, training, and labor market integration for youth and young adults. This committee is composed of employers and educational, community, and workforce organizations. They meet with partners from around the state and gather information and ideas on how groups can align, share resources, and collaborate. This committee examines economic development growth regions and makes recommendations to the WVWDB regarding key industries to target for workforce development. The Career Pathways Committee is co-chaired by a team member from the Department of Economic Development who works with registered apprenticeships. 

West Virginia engages consultants to provide technical support to state agencies and their partners, including the WDS, to assist in the development of a proactive grant strategy that will:

1. prioritize the agency’s projects that are most “grant competitive,”

2. match them to one or more funding programs, 

3. identify ways to strengthen weaker projects to make them “grant competitive,” and 

4. assemble this information in a timeline to provide a proactive strategy for grant pursuits.

This strategy allows agencies to communicate which projects will be put forward for discretionary grant funding and why and to describe why some grant programs are utilized and others are not. This statewide approach allows for the optimization of resources when identifying project priorities within individual sectors and across industries. This coordinating mechanism facilitates the sharing of information and decision-making between state agencies and WFWV, especially for grants with a workforce development component. 

To support the implementation of IIJA, CHIP and IRA, the state’s WDS partners with other state agencies, including Energy and Tourism, to:

1. develop materials for competitive grant applications,

2. coordinate with its network of workforce partners to facilitate participation in projects funded by these programs, and

3. work with other state agencies to leverage funding needed for grant matching.

The state is receiving $1.2 billion in federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the second highest award in the nation. The BEAD funding is accompanied by a workforce advisory group that includes WIOA and other state workforce partners. Deployment of workforce preparation programs will include all partners in some manner. With various potential applicants, including educational institutions, local governments, and private sector partners, the program's funding will support a range of activities. These include creating new certificate programs, offering comprehensive support services, and establishing apprenticeships, all aimed at equipping West Virginians with the skills needed for the burgeoning broadband sector.

The BEAD Workforce Committee includes all WDS partners referenced in this strategic plan.  This group meets monthly to plan education and training responses needed for the upcoming broadband industry demand.  Worker recruitment will soon be a focus of this committee including an Adult and Dislocated Worker subcommittee.