Framatome revamps nuclear training pipeline
A French nuclear power company with its United States headquarters in Lynchburg is ramping up hiring to meet a growing global need for clean, low-carbon energy. Framatome North America is recruiting for 200 positions in the U.S, about 125 of which are in Lynchburg, and it anticipates a “significant” number of additional openings in coming […]
Workforce development
The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding Founded in 1919, The Apprentice School in Newport News has graduated more than 11,000 apprentices over its long history. Part of Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division, it offers apprenticeship programs and Associate of Applied Science degrees in 19 shipbuilding disciplines and seven optional advanced programs of [[...]
Liberty University partners with Spirit in pilot pipeline program
Liberty University is partnering with Spirit Airlines in a pipeline program to land aeronautics graduates jobs as pilots amid a national shortage. Spirit, a low-cost airline headquartered in Miramar, Florida, with presences at Richmond and Norfolk’s airports, announced the partnership Thursday. Liberty, which has an aeronautics school, is the 10th partner in the airline’s Spirit [&hell[...]
Bedford firing up tech training
After Winoa USA closed its Bedford steel abrasives plant in 2020, town economic officials came up with the idea of renovating the empty facility into a regional technical training center for the metalworking industry that could include a commercial foundry. In August, the Bedford Economic Development Authority expects to be closer to that goal, with […]
Betting on success
Thousands of new jobs are flowing into Southern Virginia as Caesars Virginia prepares to open its permanent casino resort next year, and industries move into the region or expand. Meanwhile, local economic developers have been pitching the vacant 3,500-acre Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill for megaprojects like electric vehicle assembly and battery manufacturing plants […]
Virginia rises to No. 2 in CNBC’s Top States for Business
Rated America’s best state for education, Virginia climbed to the No. 2 spot in CNBC’s 2023 Top States for Business rankings, with North Carolina taking the top spot for the second year in a row. “Virginia is our most decorated state, a five-time winner,” the cable business news network said Tuesday, “but you’ll pay dearly […]
Nurse training partnership to help with instructor shortages
Shenandoah University, Valley Health and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association have teamed up to tackle the Shenandoah Valley region’s nursing shortage by creating a program that can be replicated statewide. Called NextGen Nurses, the program will use semi-retired and retiring nurses as preceptors — experienced licensed clinicians who serve as teachers and coaches — [&hellip[...]
United Way of SWVA to open workforce hub
The United Way of Southwest Virginia plans to convert an 87,000-square-foot former Kmart in Abingdon into a workforce development hub, an estimated $23 million project, the United Way chapter, Food City and town of Abingdon announced Friday, May 19. Construction is set to begin in July, and UWSWVA expects to open the building in July […]
Executive insights
Leaders from Virginia’s maritime sector share their thoughts about building a workforce pipeline in Virginia, the growth of offshore wind and how climate change impacts the industry. JUDY BARRETT Virginia Maritime Association board president; TowneBank private banking officer; Norfolk VB: As president of VMA’s board, what’s your main priority this year? Barrett: My main priority [...]
Va. launching semiconductor workforce initiative
The commonwealth is launching a Virginia Alliance for Semiconductor Technology to foster a semiconductor industry workforce, funding its establishment with a $3.3 million Growth and Opportunity for Virginia (GO Virginia) grant. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the initiative Friday. In March, GO Virginia announced the $3.3 million grant to the program, then called the Virginia Nanotechnology [&hellip[...]
Innovation, capital key to rural growth, Barkin and Warner say
There’s hope for economic growth in rural areas despite their challenges, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner said Wednesday during the Fed’s 2023 Investing in Rural America conference in Roanoke. Rural areas could overcome economic development challenges, particularly housing shortages and lack of broadband access, with innovation, [...]
Take a load off
One thing Brian Dail noticed as he spent a day and a half in February 2020 participating in step van manufacturer Morgan Olson’s new hire training in Loudon, Tennessee, was the physical strain. After the first hour, he told his colleagues, “‘Gosh, I’m not used to being on my feet. I’m ready to sit down.’” […]