You know when a commercial brand like Timberland gets in on the conversation, there might be something to the chatter.
The need for skilled workers is at an all-time high in Virginia. The National Skills Coalition has stated that almost every state has skills gap – and in Virginia alone, middle-skill jobs account for 49 percent of Virginia’s labor market, but only 39 percent of the state’s workers are trained to do the work. And that skills gap is evident across industries.
The real estate website Curbed highlighted the need for skilled workers in the construction industry, which hasn’t recovered from the housing market crash in 2008. The Wall Street Journal discussed the gap for cybersecurity workers, which cites a gap that will only increase over the next couple of years. IndustryWeek outlines key findings from a report about businesses revealing major workforce concerns in the manufacturing industry.
While each industry may be facing the skills gap in their own way, one thing is for sure: the current and next wave of the workforce needs to be trained for the jobs that are open and in-demand in order to close that gap. And that’s where FastForward comes in.
FastForward provides career training programs for people to learn new skills, earn credentials and get hired. As one of the most affordable career training programs out there, FastForward is helping to close the gap and make our economy stronger.
Timberland’s latest ad campaign puts skilled workers and the sites in which they work front and center. It has created a little bit of a limelight on the careers that so desperately need a renewed sense of interest from the workforce. We hope that more organizations help to keep the conversation going and the interest alive in the skilled careers that help keep our economy going.
If you’re interested in getting trained for one of Virginia’s most in-demand careers, reach out to your local FastForward Career Coach to get started.