Jacobsen

Jacobsen

ELKINS — A special Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting Wednesday featured multiple speakers concerning the workforce in West Virginia.

The first guest to speak was Mike Bell, chair of the Chamber’s WorkForce team. Bell began by noting the fact that many lcoal employers can’t find people to hire while many community members say there aren’t any jobs.

“That disconnect has kind of been our focus over the past year or so,” said Bell.

Bell proposed an “economic vitality center” where prospective and current business owners can learn how to manage their businesses efficiently. He asked those in attendance for ideas on what resources would be valuable for the vitality center to have.

Bell also urged employers to look into the ACT Work Ready Communities program. This program allows potential employees to certify their skills and those hiring are able to see what they’re proficient in.

“At this point, it truly is a numbers challenge to have enough employers so that potential employees say yes,” said Bell.

Karen Jacobsen of the WORC Project was next to speak. The WORC Project is a three-year collaborative between the Randolph County Housing Authority and multiple local partners “including the Chamber, and local employers,” said Jacobsen.

The goal of this project is partially to build bridges between employers and those looking for jobs, as well as “helping to kind of fuel this movement toward becoming an ACT Work Ready Community,” said Jacobsen.

Lisa Wood, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the SHIP Internship Program. SHIP, short for Summer Highlands Internship Program, aims to pair students both in and outside of Randolph County and give them internships with businesses, as well as a one-week vacation.

“We want to create a place (Randolph County) where people can live, work, play and stay,” said Wood.

Madalyn Humphrey, executive director of Elkins Main Street, was the last to speak at the meeting. “We are brainstorming and developing an ambassador program,” she said.

The goal of this program is to make every employee an ambassador for Randolph County. Humphrey wants workplaces to be knowledgeable about the events in the community and to share that knowledge with the public.

“With this curriculum, we’re going to want to make sure that it’s available at the right time for the businesses,” said Humphrey, before asking the group what the best schedule for an employer would be.

“We have so much to offer,” she said of Randolph County. Humphrey said she hopes that all citizens have a sense of pride in their homes.