“Small but Mighty” College Brings Apprenticeship to Rural West Virginia
Whenever there’s a chance to bring new opportunities to the rural communities in its region, Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College (Eastern) in Moorefield, West Virginia, is up for the challenge. Next up is becoming a sponsor of Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs for the first time.
RA is a powerful pathway that boosts wages for workers and yields higher productivity and other benefits for employers, earning them $1.44 for every dollar they spend. For rural communities like those around Eastern, RA can also be a tool for developing and retaining homegrown talent.
But sponsoring an RA is administratively complex and time-consuming, putting it out of reach for the smaller employers who often predominate in rural communities. Eastern President Dr. Thomas Striplin has decided the school will face these challenges head-on and unlock the benefits of the model for the Potomac Highlands and Eastern Panhandle regions of West Virginia. “It would have felt like a disservice to the community not to do it,” explained Lauren Arbaugh, Eastern’s Director of Workforce and Continuing Education, who is leading the effort.
