Workforce Development
Isle of Wight County’s location within the Hampton Roads region of Virginia offers a variety of labor benefits. Virginia is a right-to-work state with workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance costs consistently ranked some of the lowest in the nation. A strong regional transportation network connects a labor pool of over 800,000 people with a wide variety of skill sets to support every industry from warehousing and logistics, to advanced manufacturing, healthcare and retail.
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Workforce Development Working Group
Isle of Wight County is positioning itself to be a premier destination for business growth and for workforce innovation. Isle of Wight County Economic Development has partnered with Isle of Wight County Schools to establish the Workforce Development Working Group, which includes local, regional and state workforce partners. The goal of this group is to create a County-wide workforce development program that supports the workforce training efforts of new and existing businesses.
Workforce Development Partners
Isle of Wight County Schools consists of five elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools with just over 5,500 students. This innovative school system is fully-accredited with graduation rates surpassing the state level according to Virginia Standards of Learning.
Isle of Wight County Schools’ new career and technical education (CTE) program is designed to equip County students with skills to prepare them for “college, career, and life.” The new program offers courses including: engineering, manufacturing, robotics, culinary arts, and coding, to name a few, that offer the training which modern employers, including many local businesses, say they need in their workforce. These courses are designed not only to teach specific technical skills, but also the more elusive, much sought after “soft” skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork. The school system recently renovated the vocational building at Smithfield High School to add new facilities, such as a commercial kitchen for the culinary arts program, and built a working farm called the Agricultural Land Lab at Windsor High School for use by the agriculture programs.
Isle of Wight County Schools is interested in partnering with local and regional businesses to help implement its new programs. Any business interested in participating should contact Dr. Marsha Cale, Director of Curriculum and Professional Learning, 757-357-4393.
Paul D. Camp Community College is a two-year college offering associate degrees, certificate programs, and technical training. The Division of Workforce Development offers a variety of training and educational options to meet the needs of new and existing businesses including: Community Education Courses, Customized Training, Job Candidate Assessment, and Consulting Services
PDCCC FastForward Program
Virginia will be offsetting the tuition of select workforce training programs at community colleges by 66% with the new Workforce Credential Grant (WCG). New incentive funds to offset the cost of tuition on select high-demand credentials programs are now available and programs are open for registration. See eligible programs below. For more information contact: Dr. Toni Johnson, Director of Workforce Development, at 757-569-6064.
- Certified Logistics Associate (MSSC)
- Certified Logistics Technician (MSSC)
- CompTIA A+
- CompTIA Network+
- CompTIA Project+
- CompTIA Security+
- Customer Services and Sales Certification (National Federation Retail RiseUp)
- Certified Welder (AWS – American Welding Society)
- Commercial Driver’s License – Class A
- Commercial Driver’s License – Class B
- FastTrack Healthcare Program Credentials:
- Clinical Medical Assistant (National Healthcareer Association)
- EKG Technician (National Healthcareer Association)
- Phlebotomy Technician (National Healthcareer Association)
- Manufacturing Technician 1 (MT1 – MSSC)
- NCCER Industrial Maintenance Electrical and Instrumentation Levels 1-4
As a workforce development board representing the communities in Southside Hampton Roads, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council serves as a one-stop connection between employers and potential employees. They offer testing services designed to effectively screen applicants, job specific training programs, and valuable connections to help employers hire exiting military personnel.
Blackwater Regional Library is a rural, regional system comprising 9 branches and 1 bookmobile servicing the City of Franklin, Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, Surry County, and Sussex County. The library branches in Isle of Wight include Carrollton, Smithfield and Windsor.
Higher Education
The region has a robust higher education system offering diverse learning experiences providing a work ready talent pool from which to recruit.