The Shenandoah Valley Partnership was recently selected as a co-winner in the “100,000+” population category for the Virginia Economic Developers Association 2016 Community Economic Development Awards.
The CEDA program is designed to recognize outstanding communities in the Commonwealth for their efforts in advancing the economic viability of their community through economic and community development programs. CEDA winners were recognized at the VEDA Spring Conference last week in Williamsburg.
SVP’s nomination – Valley Career Hub – was launched in 2015 as a collaborative effort among the business, education, and economic development communities in the Shenandoah Valley to broaden awareness of high-demand, high-growth, high-wage careers in their region and promote local training opportunities for these careers.
“We are honored that Valley Career Hub received this prestigious recognition from the Virginia Economic Developers Association. The public-private campaign, led by a small group of economic development and workforce professionals at the local, regional, and state level, brought a vision to life in the Shenandoah Valley by creating a unique, first-of-its-kind partnership with local media to highlight high-growth, high-wage, in-demand available careers in our region and fulfill those needs through our regional workforce and training providers,” explained SVP Executive Director, Carrie Chenery. “We’ve enjoyed the opportunity to carry out this innovative partnership and discover an efficient and effective way to meet the future demands of a dynamic workforce in our region.”
Valley Career Hub includes several components:
- A partnership with Harrisonburg-based TV station WHSV-TV3 called “InDemand Local Career Opportunities,” featuring more than two dozen high-paying career options, including apprenticeships, in high-growth industries throughout the Shenandoah Valley where there is a substantial demand for a qualified workforce. The campaign includes 27 video segments that began airing bi-weekly on April 2, 2015, and will conclude March 31, 2016.
- A Career Connect tour, coordinated by Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) for more than 500 Valley high school students in the fall of 2015. Career Connect went beyond traditional employer or campus tours by combining a first-hand look at job sites, with employers talking directly to students about skills and credentials needed for in-demand jobs. Campus tours were held at BRCC, enabling students to experience first-hand the preparation and education needed to access key jobs in the New Economy.
- The Valley Career Hub web site contains a wealth of accessible resources for students, parents, the general public, educators, the business community, economic developers and more. Links to videos, career databases, and contact information for further resources make the site a helpful portal for the region.
“This initiative has been an amazing collaborative effort on the part of many who care about the economic well-being of the Shenandoah Valley and the Commonwealth,” said Dr. John Downey, president of Blue Ridge Community College and vice chair of the SVP board. He continued, “There are so many options for people in our community to have exciting, demanding, and well-paying careers, but we have a challenge in creating awareness of those opportunities, and Valley Career Hub is one of the ways we think we can address that challenge.”
The next phase for the Shenandoah Valley Partnership’s workforce-related efforts is to further roll out the Valley Career Hub initiative, particularly in the K-12 school systems throughout the Shenandoah Valley. Regional education and training providers, including community college’s career coaches, who are hosted in almost every high school in the region, will play an important role in educating students about the tremendous career opportunities in the Valley.
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