CRAIGSVILLE, W.Va. — State Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby said the state is going to have a lot of tourism jobs in the future and the best way to fill those jobs is to get West Virginia students ready.
Ruby joined Gov. Jim Justice, state education officials and Nicholas County school officials Tuesday in Craigsville to talk about the new workforce development initiative called Tourism Works.
“Projections show that each year for the next three years we’re going to have more than 20,000 openings in tourism and hospitality in West Virginia and about half of those will be management level positions,” Ruby said. “I’m here to tell you there are going to be a lot of opportunities.”
Data from the state Higher Education Policy Commission indicates the management-level jobs will pay close to $60,000 a year.
Justice said the preparations need to start now.
“We’re going to start training and teaching our kids in school to absolutely be ready for these jobs that are on the way and they are only the tip of the iceberg,” Justice said to a crowd gathered outside the Nicholas County Technical Education Center.
The training in the Tourism Works program is part of the Shape Our Future initiative. Ruby said tourism is being taught in all 55 counties this school year with curriculum set to be part of next year’s plans.
Other efforts in the works include:
-All 55 counties have been engaged in the process to update the tourism and hospitality curriculum to make it more relevant to today’s tourism opportunities.
-Tourism is now a career path that is highlighted at the middle school level in schools across West Virginia, as part of the Discover Your Future Program.
-A new specialization in tourism marketing is expected to launch this fall in schools who have signed on for this new part of the tourism curriculum.
-A tourism pathway program is currently being piloted and will allow students to gain college credits and career certifications at the high school level.
-The Departments of Education and Tourism are currently accepting applications from schools for Tourism EPIC grants that will award funding for students to create tourism infrastructure projects on public lands in their regions
-The Departments of Education and Tourism are working together to connect tourism industry representatives and schools directly to create more opportunities for hands-on learning.
State Technical Education Officer Clinton Burch praised the efforts currently underway with students in Nicholas County that have produced among others things the Good Gauley Coffee Company.
Burch said hearing how many jobs will be available in the future has created the momentum necessary.
“That’s why we all put our heads together and said ‘How do we tackle this? How do bring education to the forefront to really make the economy and the workforce ready for the demand that’s coming?’ That is really what you’re seeing here today,” Burch said.
Justice said there’s no stopping tourism.
“We’ve got this thing jumpstarted right now to where that absolutely we can take off where you can’t fathom,” he said.