US Senators Manchin, Capito to headline event
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With hundreds of thousands of software coding and cyber jobs unfilled in the U.S., West Virginia has tremendous opportunity to grow its tech economy through preparing workers for these positions.
TechConnectWV, in partnership with U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, will host the West Virginia Coding & Cyber Summit on Thursday, Oct. 12, in South Charleston, West Virginia to highlight the possibilities and to discuss plans – both in-progress and on the horizon – for preparing our workforce.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the BridgeValley Advanced Technology Center in South Charleston. Registration information and event details can be found at www.techconnectwv.org, or by clicking here.
“U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Capito, joined by tech industry leaders from around the state and nation, will share their views on how West Virginia’s workforce can play a greater role in the high-tech economy,” said Anne Barth, executive director of TechConnect West Virginia. “Growing the tech economy in our state is a pathway to economic progress and this event will highlight the opportunities that exist for our workforce to become a part of this fast growing sector.”
Topics to be discussed, include:
- New steps that are being taken to train a new high-tech workforce;
- Potential employment opportunities in the areas of computer coding and cybersecurity;
- Benefits of the new virtual tech economy and workplace;
- Mobilizing communities to benefit from “hereshoring” job and economic development opportunities.
The agenda, which can be found by clicking here, includes the following presentations and panel discussions:
- West Virginia’s Integrated Workforce Training in Coding/Cybersecurity Overview: K-12 programs, Higher education offerings, Non-profit and community activities
- Computer Coding/Cyber Opportunity Overview by U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito
- The Hereshoring and New Collar Economy for West Virginia
- Hereshoring and Coding Jobs Being Developed
- Strategies for West Virginia: Cybersecurity, FinTech, Big Data/Data analytics, Digital and e-Health
“There is an incredible amount of work being done within the state to prepare workers for coding and cyber security jobs, but there is much more that needs to be done,” said Barth. “The good news is that while many of these jobs require a four-year degree, thousands of jobs will be open to individuals who receive certification through multi-week boot camps.”
The event is being co-sponsored by Intuit Corporation. Additional sponsors include: BridgeValley Community & Technical College; West Virginia University; Science & Research Division, WV Higher Education Policy Commission; Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC; Allegheny Science & Technology; Core10; and, IBM.
Sponsorships are still available, as is exhibit space. To learn more, contact Anne Barth at [email protected] or call (304) 444.2918.
