Local News- High Tech Jobs......In a low tech area...Now thats a plan!

We all know about the High Tech jobs coming to Russell County. The Mark Warner Hoopla and all that follows. I posted we did not have the work force trained and now the MSM has confirmed that. Give this a read.

• Two high-tech companies have announced plans to move to Russell County, and the region must supply the work force they need to do business, state Sen. William Wampler, R-Bristol, said Tuesday.

  “Now the hard work begins,” he said. “How do we prepare the work force that meets the demand for these two companies?”........Both companies have said they need employees skilled in information technology. Wampler and UVa-Wise officials have been developing the degree program since the late 1990s, about the same time they began negotiating with the companies about locating here.

Bottom Line.

• Last year, the General Assembly wrote its appropriations bill to allow the college to approach the Council of Higher Education for Virginia about developing the program.

  The courses the college offers now don’t give students the sufficient education to get jobs with either company, said Sim Ewing, vice chancellor for finance and governmental affairs at UVa-Wise.

If this was started in the late 90's and we still have very few qualified people to fill the jobs, it is not looking good. They could have placed these centers in Wise, less than 2 miles from UVA-Wise. They could of offered internships and work study programs to students. This much praised plan sounds like sure failure to me. I hope I am wrong.