Advancing student workforce development in West Virginia

In West Virginia, fewer students are going to college after high school. To meet the state’s workforce demand, 60% of West Virginians need to have some form of degree or certificate. As of 2022, only 45% of the adult population had achieved this level of education. 

West Virginia University Extension conducted a statewide needs assessment in 2021 and discovered that the top educational concern in the state was “improving career readiness among youth ages 14-18.” 

The post-secondary team followed up by launching a career readiness curriculum for middle school students in the fall of 2021 called “Seeing Yourself in the Future.” This hands-on classroom enrichment program provided nine sessions covering a range of career exploration and workforce readiness topics such as unlocking job opportunities, creating a winning resume and dressing for success. As of 2024, the program has reached 1,088 middle school students across five different states and trained 361 Extension and school professionals in 35 states. 

The program is offered in multiple formats, including virtual and in-person sessions. Program participants are expected to show improvement in four core outcome areas: digital citizenship, interview self-efficacy, future/vision board and career readiness soft skills. In the pilot’s first year (2021-22), pre- and post-evaluation data from 126 middle school students showed modest gains across all four outcomes. In 2023-24, a revised retrospective pre-post tool collected data from 86 participants and showed significant gains in every area. 

West Virginia University Extension equips young people with practical skills and career awareness to strengthen the state’s future workforce.

West Virginia University Extension Service | Project supported by Smith-Lever (3b&c) capacity funds.