Why West Virginia? Why the West Side?
Currently, almost 38% of West Side residents live under the poverty line, and around 10% are unemployed–rates that are much higher than state and national averages. Residents who are employed work predominantly in the service industry, in contrast to the majority of Charleston residents who work in management, business, science, or the arts. The West Side’s median household income is nearly half that of the overall city of Charleston, and less than half of the national average.
The problem does not end at the West Side border, but is a reality for much of Kanawha County. According to Kids Count, 28% of Kanawha County kids grow up in poverty, 7% dropout of high school, and 77% of 8th grade students scored below proficient in math. Only 26.3% of all West Virginians complete a Bachelors degree or other higher education (Statistical Atlas), but according to ThinkAdvisor, a college degree doubles the odds of getting a job.
With over 600,000 tech jobs unfilled in the US, the industry provides rich opportunities for currently under-resourced and underemployed residents (See The Obama White House Fact Sheet: Expanding the Tech Economies of Communities Across the Country: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/27/fact-sheet-expanding-tech-economies-communities-across-country). However, many West Side residents currently face a huge skill gap to be eligible for such jobs, as well as a need for the highest quality training, exposure to a positive work environment and role models, and confidence to envision a new future that departs from the poverty surrounding many on the West Side. As evidence, MESH, which is a technology employer on the West Side of Charleston, has experienced their computer programming job opportunities going unfilled for as long as 8 months at a time, with very few qualified candidates eligible to fill open positions.
With an estimated 1.4 million computing and engineering positions that need to be filled by 2020, the skills gap is very much in need of closing. However, studies have predicted that universities will only graduate approximately 400,000 computer science graduates by that time. Additionally, the National Federation of Independent Business found that 45 percent of small businesses reported that they were unable to find qualified applicants to fill job openings in the first quarter of 2017. – Tech Co
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills are increasingly necessary to navigate an ever-more complex world and a globalized economy. There is tremendous energy and momentum to improve these skills among citizens and students so they can participate fully in contemporary society and the modern economy. Yet most strategies and policies for reforming STEM education focus on what happens during the school day. While schools are absolutely essential for learning, we must acknowledge that children spend less than 20% of their waking hours in schools each year” (Falk & Dierkling, 2010).
If youth can be prepared to think entrepreneurially and work technically, youth will ultimately be prepared to create jobs, reinvent the economy, and reverse the out-migration of people from West Virginia to other states (currently, according to Generation Charleston, 44 people leave each day).
Not only does the West Side need more training and skill-building opportunities, but the community needs more opportunities for minority-led and female-led entrepreneurship to start-up, thrive, and bring their own unique perspective to the transitioning economy. According to the US Census, in West Virginia, minority-owned businesses make up only roughly 5% of the total businesses owned (5,777 of 114,435), and women-owned businesses make up only roughly 34% of total businesses owned (39,065 of 114,435) (2012 data). The West Side needs more minority and female representation in entrepreneurship on the West Side, and more diverse voices and perspectives to diversify the local economy.