CLARUS CORPORATION
JANUARY 2005
West Virginia Northern Community College
Workforce
Development Scan
Results

WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Table Of Contents
Workforce Needs Assessment Study Design ...................................................................................................... 1
Purpose .............................................................................................................................................................. 1
Research Questions ......................................................................................................................................... 1
Sampling Frame................................................................................................................................................ 2
Reliability Estimation ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Instrument Design ........................................................................................................................................... 2
Data Collection................................................................................................................................................. 3
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................................... 3
Report Generation ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Employee Availability............................................................................................................................................ 5
Issues To Address ............................................................................................................................................ 5
Summary Of Results........................................................................................................................................ 5
Employer Training Needs ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Issues To Address ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Summary Of Results........................................................................................................................................ 9
Computer Skills Training ................................................................................................................................... 12
Issues To Address .......................................................................................................................................... 12
Summary Of Results...................................................................................................................................... 12
Training Program Structure ................................................................................................................................ 18
Issues To Address .......................................................................................................................................... 18
Summary Of Results...................................................................................................................................... 18
Relationships With Training Resources ............................................................................................................ 27
Issues To Address .......................................................................................................................................... 27
Summary Of Results...................................................................................................................................... 27
Academic Degree Programs Needed .................................................................................................................. 30
Issues To Address .......................................................................................................................................... 30
Summary Of Results...................................................................................................................................... 30
Jobs Forecast .......................................................................................................................................................... 32
Issues To Address .......................................................................................................................................... 32
Jobs Forecast .................................................................................................................................................. 32
Local Jobs Forecast ....................................................................................................................................... 34
Hired A Graduate Of West Virginia Northern Community College ...................................................... 37
Issues To Address .......................................................................................................................................... 37
Summary Of Results...................................................................................................................................... 37
CLARUS CORPORATION
212 BOX BUTTE AVENUE
ALLIANCE, NE 69301
308.762.2565
308.762.2836
www.claruscorporation.com
i
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Employee Educational Participation ................................................................................................................. 39
Issues To Address .......................................................................................................................................... 39
Summary Of Results...................................................................................................................................... 39
Business Characteristics ....................................................................................................................................... 46
Summary Of Results...................................................................................................................................... 46
Curriculum Implications ...................................................................................................................................... 49
Business ........................................................................................................................................................... 49
Health Careers ................................................................................................................................................ 51
Human Services.............................................................................................................................................. 52
Criminal Justice .............................................................................................................................................. 52
Computer Information Technology............................................................................................................ 53
Technology ..................................................................................................................................................... 55
Culinary Arts ................................................................................................................................................... 56
AA and AS Programming ............................................................................................................................. 56
Appendices ............................................................................................................................................................. 57
Appendix A. Questionnaire ........................................................................................................................ A-1
Appendix B. Tabular Results By Size Of Employer ............................................................................... B-1
Appendix C. Detailed Verbatim Responses............................................................................................. C-1
Appendix D. Occupational Forecasts ...................................................................................................... D-1
Appendix E. Jobs Forecast Matrix ............................................................................................................ E-1
Appendix F. Skill Sets For Jobs Forecast Matrix .................................................................................... F-1
Appendix G. Program Headcount And FTE Of West Virginia Northern Community College,
1999 To 2003 ........................................................................................................................................ G-1
Appendix H. Tabular Results By Geographic Region........................................................................... H-1
CLARUS CORPORATION
212 BOX BUTTE AVENUE
ALLIANCE, NE 69301
308.762.2565
308.762.2836
www.claruscorporation.com
ii
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Workforce Needs Assessment Study Design
Purpose
West Virginia Northern Community College has undertaken a comprehensive study to assess the needs of the
businesses in its service area. The College requested assistance in examining the needs of employers in its
service area for the entire spectrum of education and training options that may be needed by the employees.
The primary research data gathered will provide the College the opportunity to determine the need for new
educational programs, revise current programs and determine which programs may be obsolete.
To accomplish the task defined by West Virginia Northern Community College, a multifaceted approach was
used. The first step in the project was to examine the internal data from the College to evaluate the
enrollments and graduates of the current programming and the composition of the programming. The next
phase of the project was to conduct a survey of the employers in the service area. The assessment was
conducted to define the training needs of the market, and to assess the education needed by the employers to
have a workforce that will meet their needs in the future. Special emphasis was given to forecasting future jobs
in the region, then evaluating the College’s current programming against those needs of the jobs for the future.
Finally, everything was pulled together in a comparison of the current market needs and the programming
available at the College. This analysis easily identified market opportunities for the College. It pinpointed areas
in which the College is excelling in meeting market needs and areas in which the College should place renewed
emphasis.
Research Questions
Specifically, the research questions for the survey of employers included:

Do the employers perceive they have a qualified workforce available to meet their employment needs in
the next few years? What skill sets are their current and potential workers missing? Are the employers
providing training for those current employees?

What are the needs for academic training skills in the service area for two-year, four-year and graduate
programs? Are some areas underserved?

What technical training skills are needed now and anticipated to be needed by businesses in the future?

What alternative delivery training needs exist and what delivery methods will assist employers in providing
the education and training needed for their employees?

What are the needs in computer and information technology training today and for the future? Who is the
primary training provider?

What are the future employee needs of businesses, and what training will future employees need to be
hired by those businesses? How do those needs differ from the regional, state and national job forecasts?

How should training programs be structured and what are the preferences for those training programs?
Who are the primary training providers in the market?
Detailed in the report are the specific training programs that the employers have identified as needed for their
current and future employees. The results also provide information on what new program areas should be
developed — or current programs altered — in order to better meet the needs of the market.
1
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
To determine how West Virginia Northern Community College could best meet the current and future needs
of the employers in the region, surveys were conducted with 350 employers in the region. A combination of
telephone and personal interviews were used to collect the data. This report outlines the methodology for the
project and summarizes the major findings of the Workforce Development Scan.
Sampling Frame
The population of interest for this business needs assessment was the employers located in the service area of
West Virginia Northern Community College. The service area of West Virginia Northern Community College
is comprised of six counties in West Virginia, specifically Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Tyler and Wetzel.
The number of employers by county was pulled for the sample frame. The employers were analyzed by
employer size across the service region. The sample frame is presented in Exhibit 1.
Exhibit 1. Sample Frame For Workforce Development Scan
County
Total
Number Of
Businesses
Percent
Total
Brooke
Hancock
Marshall
Ohio
Tyler
Wetzel
518
1,123
758
2,180
201
650
9.5%
20.7%
14.0%
40.1%
3.7%
12.0%
33
72
49
141
13
42
Total
5,430
100.0%
350
A list of employers was purchased from a company specializing in business lists and the sample was stratified
by SIC code and zip code within the service area. Employers were randomly selected within this geographic
frame of reference and by business type and this provided stratification of the sample across the service area.
Reliability Estimation
The reliability estimation for the sample was based on the number of businesses by city to the total number of
businesses in the service area. A sample of 350 businesses provided a reliability of 95 percent and tolerable
error of ± 5.2 percent. In other words, if 100 different samples of 350 businesses in the service area were
chosen randomly, 95 times out of 100 the results obtained would vary no more than ± 5.2 percentage points
from the results that would be obtained if all of the employers in the service area were interviewed.
Instrument Design
On the basis of the data gained in the preliminary interviews on the campus of West Virginia Northern
Community College, a draft of a telephone survey was developed and presented to West Virginia Northern
Community College. CLARUS Corporation and West Virginia Northern Community College reviewed this
draft in detail for additions, deletions and revisions. The survey was based on a survey master that has been
used to interview more than 11,000 businesses in the last decade about their educational needs. The
instrument basis has been found to provide extremely reliable and valid results.
It was the responsibility of CLARUS Corporation to write and sequence the questions in such a way that any
respondent bias was minimized and the questions were technically correct. The final survey was pretested to
2
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
ensure that question wording and sequencing were structured as needed. A copy of the final instrument is
presented in Appendix A.
Data Collection
Telephone surveys were the primary method of data collection. Each telephone interview lasted
approximately 15 to 20 minutes. These interviews were conducted November 9 to 16, 2004 by CLARUS
Corporation interviewers who have previous experience in educational services interviewing with busy
business owners and executives. The interviewers conducting the telephone interviews were subjected to
rigorous hiring and training procedures before making their first phone call. Before interviewing began, the
interviewers went through a thorough question-by-question briefing of the questionnaire. During actual
interviewing, each interviewer was monitored for one complete questionnaire and monitored randomly after
that.
For eight of the businesses contacted, the interviews were conducted by the CLARUS Corporation Project
Team Leader on-site at the employers’ locations with the CEO or designated representative. These in-depth
interviews allowed for additional information to be examined. These employers were selected specifically for
personal interviews by West Virginia Northern Community College. The CLARUS Corporation Project Team
Leader conducted these interviews December 1 and 2, 2004. Follow-up telephone interviews were conducted
from December 7 to 13, 2004.
Data Analysis
After the data were collected, verification of the data began. The data were examined to ensure that
procedures were followed in data collection and checked for internal validity by cross-matching answers per
respondent. The data were then coded for processing and analysis.
The data were analyzed according to acceptable statistical tests. The results of the data were organized into a
graphic narrative report and a tabular report cross-tabulated by both size and location of the employer. In
addition, West Virginia Northern Community College now has a database, formatted in Excel, which can be
used for direct contact with businesses based on their stated needs.
Report Generation
A complete set of tabular results by frequency and percentage for each of the major classifications of this
research is provided in Appendix B. The tabular results should serve as reference materials and should be
consulted before important conclusions are made. Specific verbatim responses are automatically shortened for
inclusion in the tabular results by the SPSS software. The verbatim responses are presented in complete detail
in Appendix C.
The results of the data are organized into a graphic and narrative report. The report focuses on the most
meaningful findings of the research. To allow for better analysis of the data, the results are presented by size of
the employer. Specifically, the categories include:

“Employers with less than 20 employees” represents 154 employers, or 44.0 percent of employers in
the service area who reported they had less than 20 employees.

“Employers with 20 to 49 employees” represents 109 employers, or 31.1 percent of employers in the
service area who reported they had 20 to 49 employees.
3
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005

“Employers with 50 or more employees” represents 87 employers, or 24.9 percent of employers in
the service area who reported they had 50 or more employees.
The results from the individual interviews and the analyses of available data have been synthesized in a draft
set of findings that identifies the key unmet needs to which West Virginia Northern Community College
might respond, as well as recommendations as to what that response might be. In addition to the results of the
survey research, program data were also examined for West Virginia Northern Community College. The
enrollments in program areas, as well as availability of programs viewed as needed from the survey data, were
compared. This comparison provided an opportunity to compare the current programming with the needed
programming and identify opportunities for new program development or revamping current programming if
it is not meeting market needs.
4
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Employee Availability
Issues To Address

Utilize the job placement component at West Virginia Northern Community College to
develop additional internships for students and employers, especially to alleviate the
perceived shortage of qualified individuals for job market; aggressively market the job
placement office at West Virginia Northern Community College to the employers in the
marketplace
Summary Of Results
Chart 1. Shortage Of Qualified Job Candidates
By Size Of Employer
Shortage of
qualified
applicants
Number of
applicants
Less Than 20
20 To 49
Lack of applicants
with skills
50 Or More
Both
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Shortage Of Qualified Job Candidates. Employers in the area were first asked whether they believe there is
a shortage of qualified job candidates. Overall, 63 percent of the employers indicated they believe there is
currently a shortage of qualified job applicants. Two-thirds of the smaller employers, those with less than 20
employees noted that they did believe there was a shortage of qualified job candidates, as did 61 percent of the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and 61 percent of the largest employers (those with 50 or more
employees), as seen in Chart 1.
For those employers who indicated there was a shortage of qualified job candidates, the employers were asked
whether it was an issue of the number of applicants or the lack of applicants with skills, and overwhelmingly
the employers, noted the shortage was due to a lack of applicants with skills. Three-fourths (75 percent) of the
employers with less than 20 employees reported the shortage was due to a lack of applicants with skills, as did
65 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 58 percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees. When employers were asked what skill sets the job applicants were missing, several key areas were
5
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
mentioned: basic skills including math, reading and writing; communication skills; computer skills; work ethics;
and experience.
In addition, the employers also noted that the applicants were lacking skill sets for specific occupations. The
occupations that employers mentioned job-related skills were important and missing in the applicant pool
included areas such as: accounting, animals, art, automotive, bakery, business, child care, clerical, construction,
CPR, carpentry, cashier, certificated nursing assistants, chefs/ cooks, commercial driver’s license, criminal
justice, customer service, diesel mechanics, drafting/CAD, drivers, early childhood, finance, food service,
electrical, EMT, engineering, environmental engineer, fabricating, heavy equipment operator and repair,
machining, maintenance, measurement tools, meat slicer, mechanical skills, medical coding, medical
transcription, money handling, motorcycle repair, nursing, office skills, OSHA training, paramedics, pesticides,
press operator, retail, sales, social work, special education, technical, teller, trades, ultrasound technology, waste
water, water blasting and welding.
Eleven percent of the employers with less than 20 employees, 12 percent of the employers with 20 to 49
employees and 17 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees indicated that they viewed the
applicant shortage as an issue of the number of applicants, or they simply did not have enough applicants.
Finally, there was also a group of employers who responded that the shortage of qualified job applicants was
due to both a shortage of qualified applicants and the lack of applicants with skills. Fifteen percent of the
employers with less than 20 employees noted this was the case, as did 23 percent of the employers with 20 to
49 employees and 24 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees.
6
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 2. Sources Used To Recruit Job Applicants
By Size Of Employer
Job service agency
Newspaper ads
Less Than 20
20 To 49
Other colleges and universities
50 Or More
Web site or online search
West Virginia Northern Community
College
Other sources
0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Percent
Employers who indicated there was a lack of applicants were also asked to identify the sources they used to
recruit employees. Chart 2 presents the sources the employers use to recruit job applicants. A majority of the
employers use newspaper ads — 82 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees, 74 percent of the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and 77 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. In addition
to newspapers, the larger employers are also likely to go to other colleges and universities as a source for
employees (73 percent), use a Web site or online search for employees (59 percent) or use a job service agency
(54 percent). Only 41 percent of the large employers used West Virginia Northern Community College as a
source for employees. The other sources used by more than half of the larger employers (54 percent) included
“word of mouth,” job fairs, recruiters, Manpower, hotline, in store ads, corporate, a hiring center or a state
agency.
Other than newspapers, the smaller employers were more likely to use other sources in which to recruit
employees. Sixty-one percent of the smaller employers (those with less than 20 employees) were likely to use
other resources; specifically, “word of mouth” (for more than half), taking applications in-house, posting signs
and people walking in. Only 42 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees used a job service
agency, half used other colleges and universities, 35 percent used a Web site or online search and only 31
percent used West Virginia Northern Community College as a source to recruit employees. While a majority
of the employers with 20 to 49 employees also used newspapers to recruit employees, 74 percent used other
sources, 56 percent used the job service agency, 30 percent used other colleges and universities, 26 percent
used a Web site or online search and only 17 percent used West Virginia Northern Community College. The
7
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
other sources used by the employers with 20 to 49 employees included: “word of mouth” (for 65 percent),
direct referrals, in-house recruiting, job fair, signs and local union.
Chart 3. Qualified Labor Force Available By Size Of Employer
Qualified labor
available
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Not available
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Labor Force Availability. The majority of employers (61 percent) do believe there will be a qualified
labor force to meet their employment needs in the next five years. As seen in Chart 3, 28 percent of the
employers with less than 20 employees believe there will not be a qualified labor force available in the
service area that can meet their needs in the next five years, as do 33 percent of the employers with 20 to
49 employees and 32 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees. The employers who believe
that qualified labor will be in short supply noted six primary reasons for the shortage — attitude toward
work (poor), education lacking, work ethics (poor), employers cannot pay high wages, qualified people
leave area and lack of specific job skills.
The most mentioned occupational areas in which the employers noted that the potential labor pool is
missing specific job-related skills include: athletic trainers, auto service technicians, aviation, blacksmiths,
cosmetology, diesel mechanics, drivers (CDL), food service, healthcare, mechanics, nursing and social
work. Other occupational areas mentioned by the employers in which the employers anticipate a
shortage of qualified candidates with the skill sets needed include: accounting, advanced life support,
business, certified nursing assistants, chefs, child care/child development, clerical, CPR, drafting, EMT,
IV, early childhood, electrical, engineering, environmental, hazardous materials, legal skills,
manufacturing, machining, mechanical, maintenance, office skills, OSHA, paramedic, physical therapists,
production, programming, restaurant, safety, sales, sign work, social work, surveying, teachers and
welders.
Employers also noted that the labor pool was lacking some basic skill sets that would make them
successful in their chosen occupations. Those skill sets were more personal in terms of how the
employee participates in the work environment and included: people skills, basic skills (reading, writing
and math), common sense, communication skills, computer skills, experience, interpersonal skills and
work ethics.
8
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Employer Training Needs
Issues To Address

Create and deliver “skills refreshers” for employees and market to employers who
indicate a need for basic skills updates for employees; direct market the basic skills
refresher for on-site delivery to large employers and included in the refresher should be
reading, writing, math and work ethics; partner with the local workforce investment
agencies for potential funding of testing and delivery

Continue to offer the computer skills training courses to employers on-site via the semi
truck

Strengthen the computer training and proficiency in the academic curriculums at the
college; add a three hour mandated computer proficiency for graduation
Summary Of Results
Chart 4. Training Programs Conducted In Last Year For Current Employees
By Size Of Employer
Offered training
programs to
employees
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Nothing offered/ do
not train
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Current Employer Training Programs. More than half of the employers in the service area have conducted
major training programs for their employees in the last year. Fifty-five percent of the employers with less than
20 employees, 71 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 86 percent of the employers with 50
or more employees have conducted a training program for their employees in the last 12 months, as seen in
Chart 4. The most prevalent areas in which the employers have provided training in-house to their employees
in the last 12 months include: safety, computers, CPR, customer service, OSHA, first aid, sales, cashiers,
communications, forklift operations and hazardous materials.
Health care encompasses a large portion of the current training programs offered by the employers to their
employees in the last year. The specific areas in health care in which employers offered training programs in
the last year included: advanced cardiac life support, alcohol and drugs, Alzheimer’s, behavioral management,
billing, blood borne pathogens, claims processing, CNA, defibulator training, dementia, drug abuse,
9
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
emergency responders, EMT, fall protection, HIPPA, infection controls, insurance billing, IV training,
medications, mental health, nursing, paramedic, patient safety, pharmacy techs and respirators.
The other extremely diverse areas in which the employers provided training to their employees in the last year
included: accounting, AS 900, asbestos training, assessment, auto tech, aviation, bartending, benefits, biology,
boat safety, breeders, busboys, business, cash loans, CDL, certified GM training, child abuse, Chrysler and
Chevy sales training, clerks, client complaints, conflict resolution, cooking, copy machine repair, correctional
academy training, counselor training, crisis intervention, curriculum, defensive driving, deli, diabetes, diesel
repair technology, discipline, discrimination, dish room, diversity, domestic violence, drafting, driver training,
early childhood, electrical, electronics, employee orientation, engineering, environmental, equipment handling,
ergonomics, fabricating, farm equipment, fertilizers, fire training, food safety, prep and handling, FTC rules,
grilling, hair coloring, health/safety, homeland security, housekeeping, better organized, fix engines, repair
signs, human resources, insecticides, interview skills, IRA, labor law training, leadership, lean manufacturing,
legal software training, lifeguard, lifting, lumber yard training, machine operators, maintenance, management,
marketing, math, mechanical, merchandising, mortgage, motivation, on-the-job training, orientation, personnel
policy, pipefitting classes, pneumatic controls, printing, problem solving, product training, pump maintenance,
quality control, reading, regulatory training, report writing, insect control, screen printing, secretary, seminars,
sexual harassment, sheet metal, signs, sign language, social work, staff development, supervisors, surveying,
SYDS, technology, telemarketing, telephone skills, temperatures, terrorism, tobacco/alcohol, sales,
transportation, truck loading, receptionists, walkouts/tagouts, waste water, waxing, weapons and writing
grants.
Chart 5. Future Training Programs Planned For Employees
By Size Of Employer
Training
programs
anticipated in
next year
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
None
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Planned Training Programs. The larger employers are more likely to provide training programs to their
employees in the next year, as seen in Chart 5. Thirty-nine percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees plan to provide training programs to their employees in the next year compared to only 28 percent
of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 24 percent of those employers with less than 20 employees.
Employers were asked to indicate the specific training programs they planned to provide for their employees
in the next year. The training programs to be provided run the gamut from specific job skills to soft skills to
technical skills, but a majority of the employers plan to provide training in computers, customer service and
safety.
10
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
The other key areas in which the employers plan to provide training to their employees in the next year
mirrored the areas in which they provided training in the last year. Health care was a primary area in which
training will be provided. Specific areas of training to be provided in health care in the next year include:
behavioral training, billing, case management, CAT scan, CNAs, coding, HIPAA, infection control, LPN,
medication administration, patient safety and pediatric advanced life support.
Other diverse areas in which the employers plan to provide training to their employees in the next year
include: 401K training, 911 background checks, sledge handling, asbestos training, business management,
CDL, collection of evidence, hair coloring, commercial refrigerators, communications (interpersonal),
cooking, corporate compliance, sterilization of powders, DOT, drivers education, drug screening, electronics,
estimating, ethics, evaluation, fire training, first aid, flagman, fire safety, forklift operations, hand-held
technology, hazmat, homeland security, reading, industrial electrical, management training, manicures,
manufacturing, marketing, math, mechanical skills, merchandise management, mine safety, accident
investigation, national defense, cosmetology, new product training, orientations, OSHA, perms, preschool,
preservation, early childhood evaluation, quality control, receiving, sales, security, social services, soft skills,
special education, staff development, supervisory, swift water rescue, swimming instructor, technology,
terrorism, time management, transcription, tutoring, video lottery machine and West Virginia STARS systems
training.
11
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Computer Skills Training
Issues To Address

Expand and reorganize the programming issues for computer information systems; need
a ladder of programs from certificates to associate degrees in CIS which would include
options such as computer application specialist, help desk support, networking
specialists and LAN support and Web design and administration

Assure certifications are available for potential students in the academic CIS program,
specifically CISCO, A+ and MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer)
Summary Of Results
Computers are being used by a majority of the employers regardless of size — 94 percent of the employers in
the service area use computers in their businesses. Ninety-four percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees are using computers in their business, as are 97 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees
and 92 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. The primary operating system is either
Windows XP (more than one-third) or Windows 2000. Ninety-four percent of the employers with computers
are running Windows as an operating system.
Chart 6. Computer Training Needed For Current Employees
By Size Of Employer
Windows
software
Less Than 20
Microsoft Office
Suite
20 To 49
50 Or More
Other software
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent Needing Training
Windows Software. Fifteen percent of the employers in the service area indicated a need for training for their
current employees on the Windows operating system. While 23 percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees reported a need for Windows training for their current employees, only 16 percent of the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and nine percent of the employers with less than 20 employees reported
the same need (see Chart 6). Those 46 employers account for 451 employees to be training on the Windows
operating systems 98, 2000 and XP. The other operating systems mentioned in which training was needed
varied and included DOS, Macintosh, Smart System and other old (“dinosaur”) systems.
12
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Microsoft Office Suite. Sixty-nine percent of the employers across the region are using Microsoft Office
Suite as their major office software. As seen in Chart 6, 18 percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees need training for their current employees on Microsoft Office Suite, as do 16 percent of the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and 22 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. These 43
employers account for 319 employees who need training on Microsoft Office Suite.
Other Software. Slightly more than one-fifth of the employers who use computers are interested in
training on other software, regardless of the number of employees (see Chart 6). Seventeen percent of
the employers with less than 20 employees reported a need for training on other software, as did 28
percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 20 percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees. These 70 employers identified 450 employees for whom they have a training need in a
software application. The types of other software mentioned varied by the type of employer. There is
demand for training in Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, beginning and advanced Word and
beginning and advanced Access). Employers specifically mentioned the need for training in Excel for
their employees. Other software mentioned in which training for employees is needed included:
accounting software (QuickBooks and Peachtree), publishing software (Microsoft Publisher and
PageMaker), architectural design (AutoCAD), and Web design software. Several employers noted the
need for training in specialized programs like GradeQuick, Primavera and RapidTrax (hand-held
software) and trucking software.
Chart 7. Computer Vendor Usage For Training
By Size Of Employer
Conduct inhouse
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Would
outsource
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Computer Training Source Preferences. Employers prefer to conduct their computer training in-house, as
evidenced in Chart 7. More than 80 percent of the employers in the service area prefer to conduct their
computer training in-house as seen in Chart 7. Ninety percent of the employers with less than 20 employees,
89 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 80 percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees reported they conduct the training in-house. Of those employers who do conduct their training inhouse, the smaller employers are more likely to conduct their training in-house. The largest and the smallest
employers would be slightly more likely to outsource that computer training (see Chart 7). Eighteen percent of
the employers with 50 or more employees and 18 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees
would consider outsourcing their computer training compared to only seven percent of the employers with 20
to 49 employees. Employers would consider outsourcing training on software applications, such as Microsoft
Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint), Windows (XP and 2000), accounting software
(QuickBooks) and Publisher.
13
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
For those employers who are currently outsourcing their computer training (less than 20 percent of total
employers), West Virginia Northern Community College is one of the recognized training sources. Twenty
percent of the employers with 50 or more employees mentioned West Virginia Northern Community College
as their current training partner, as did 18 percent of the employers with less than 50 employees. In addition to
West Virginia Northern Community College, the companies are using other colleges and universities (Butler
County Community College, Jefferson Technical College and Northern University) to provide computer
training to their employees. The employers are also using corporate offices, government entities (cities and
states), private vendors (New Horizons) and their own staff. The key training that is being conducted by the
training partners is software training, specifically Excel, Word, Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, Windows,
PowerPoint, sales and estimating software.
Chart 8. Network Installations By Size Of Employer
Have Network
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Planning on
installing
Network
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent Yes
Training Needs For Computer Networks. While 69 percent of the employers in the region who have
computers have a computer network in place at this time, the largest employers are the more likely to have
networks (64 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees, 65 percent of the employers with 20 to 49
employees, and 82 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees). If employers know what network
software they are using (the majority do not), they are typically running either Windows or Novell. Of those
employers without a computer network, less than 10 percent are planning to install a network in the next year.
Ten percent of the employers with less than 20 employees are planning on installing networks in the next year
as are only nine percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and eight percent of the employers with 50
or more employees. The majority of the employers are unsure of what network software they will use.
14
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 9. Network Training Needs By Size Of Employer
Network
software
Less Than 20
Network
management
20 To 49
50 Or More
Computer
programming
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent Needed/ Much Needed
Chart 9 presents the training needs of the employers in the region for network software training for current
employees. Overall, few employers cited a need for current employees to be trained in network software —
they prefer to hire the employees with the skill sets rather than train. Less than 10 percent of the employers in
the service area cited a need for current employees to be trained on network software. The 19 companies
expressing this need represent 255 employees for training. Seven percent of the employers in the region cited
that network management training was needed or much needed for their current employees. Fifteen
companies identified 53 employees for network management training. Less than five percent of the employers
reported a need for training in computer programming for their current employees — nine companies
identified 50 employees for training.
15
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 10. Computer Certifications Required For Current Employees And
New Hires By Size Of Employer
Current employees
Current employees
in future
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
New hires
Both current
employees and
new hires in future
None in future
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent Requiring Certifications
Required Computer Certifications. Employers in the service area were asked if they required any
computer certifications for their current employees. As one can see in Chart 10, very few of the employers are
currently requiring computer certifications, and more than 85 percent will not require computer certifications
in the future (of new hires or current employees). Three percent of the employers with less than 20
employees currently require computer certifications for their employees, as do four percent of the employers
with 50 or more employees, but seven percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees currently require
computer certifications for their employees. The certifications they require include: computer certifications,
degrees in computer science, information technology degrees, information systems and Windows
certifications.
Less than 10 percent of the employers will require computer certifications for their new hires or for their
current employees in the future as seen in Chart 10. Only two percent of the employers with less than 20
employees and those with 50 or more employees will require computer certifications for their new hires, but
eight percent of those employers with 20 to 49 employees will require computer certifications for new hires.
Only two percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees will require computer certifications of their
current employees and new hires in the future, but four percent of the employers with less than 20 employees
and 10 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees will require computer certifications in the future
for current employees and new hires. The certifications to be required in the future include: Adobe, computer
basics, billing, EMT, information technology degrees, TIA and Windows.
16
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 11. Web Site Training Needs By Size Of Employer
Have Web site
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Training needed
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Web Site Training Needs. Two-thirds of the employers currently have a Web site to maintain. As seen in
Chart 11, 57 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees have a Web site, compared to 68 percent
of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 75 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees.
However, only eight percent of the employers expressed a need for training of their current employees in Web
site design and administration. Fourteen percent of the employers with less than 20 employees reported a
need for training of their current employees on Web site design and administration, compared to only five
percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and three percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees. Overall, the 18 employers reported a need for training of 43 employees on Web site design and
administration.
17
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Training Program Structure
Issues To Address

Create a West Virginia Northern Community College “training manual” for employers;
create a hard-copy manual which lists programming which can be taught by the College;
create a web version which will provide times and locations and even a login to arrange
programming; areas to consider including in the training manual include leadership,
computers, customer service, management, health updates, safety, supervisory

Purchase or develop update training in the areas of safety, OSHA regulations, forklift
operations and food handling/ safety for delivery on CD-ROM or internet and market to
employers through a direct mail campaign; target one phone number at the College for
businesses to respond and create online web signup page

Create a leadership or supervision certificate which can ladder into a business
management associate degree; would be comprised of 12 to 16 hours which can be
completed in one semester if compressed

Need computer based training (CBT) classes developed (or purchased) and working in
partnership with other vendors for contract training to be delivered on-site; key areas to
target include hospitality, retail and food service employers given the high-turnover area
rate and forecasted high job growth; examples include CBT in using cash registers,
counting change, food preparation and handling
Summary Of Results
Chart 12. Likelihood Of Working With West Virginia Northern
Community College To Develop Future Training Programs
For Employees By Size Of Employer
Less Than 20
20 To 49
Would consider
West Virginia
Northern
50 Or More
0
10
20
30
40
50
Percent
18
60
70
80
90
100
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Future Training Programs Needed. Sixty percent of the employers with 50 or more employers noted they
would be likely to work with West Virginia Northern Community College to develop training programs for
current employees to improve their employees’ skill sets, as seen in Chart 12. Fifty-three of the employers with
20 to 49 employees and 54 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees cited they would also be
likely to work with West Virginia Northern Community College to develop training programs for employees.
The primary areas in which the employers would be interested in developing training programs to improve
their current employees skill sets include: computers, communications, customer service, math and safety.
The other training programs mentioned by the employers in which they would be likely to work with West
Virginia Northern Community College to develop training programs to improve their employees’ skill sets
include: accounting, aircraft maintenance, alcohol and drugs, environmental, Alzheimer’s, assessment training,
attention to details, auto parts knowledge, basic skills (reading, writing and math), personal care, behavior
management, billing, blueprinting, brick cutter, business, cabinet making, carpentry, cashiers, paramedics,
classroom skills, clerical, CNAs, coding, conflict resolution, contracts, control systems, cooking, CPR, culinary
arts, cutting, dance, defensive driving, dementia, diabetes, diesel technology, discipline, driving, drywall, early
childhood, electrical, electronics, EMTs, English, environmental science, equipment, estimating, fabricating,
fire handling, fitness, food handling and safety, funeral director, general labor, grammar, gymnastics, hazmat,
heat treatment, heavy equipment, HIPAA, housekeeping, how to apply for job applications, report writing,
human services, interpersonal skills, iron workers, IV administration, keyboarding, laundry, leadership, letter
writing, LPN, machine operations, maintenance, management, manufacturing, marketing, math, mechanics,
medical billing and records, medications, mental retardation, mine safety, modern office, money management,
nursing, OSHA regulations, office skills, paramedics, people skills, pharmacy techs, phlebotomy, plumbing,
pole climbing, preservation, time management, problem solving, programming, quality control, reading,
realtors, retail, roofers, sales, sand blasting, screen printing, security, sexual abuse, sheet metal, siding, social
service, special education, spray painting, supervisor skills, systems administrators, tagout, teachers, technical
skills, telephone skills, transcriptions, treatment plan, writing, typing, waitresses, waste water, weights, welding,
windows, wood working, work ethics, working with others and writing.
19
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 13. Training Delivery Preferences Of Employers
By Size Of Employer
West Virginia
Northern
Community College
At my place of
business
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Depends
Other sites
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Location Preferences. The employers who noted they would be interested in working with West Virginia
Northern Community College were then asked for their preferences as to how and when the College should
deliver that training. First, the employers were asked their preferences for the delivery location of the preferred
training programs. More than 40 percent of the employers across the service area are likely to want a training
program delivered on-site at their place of business, as seen in Chart 13. Fifty-eight percent of the employers
with 50 or more employees, 45 percent of those with 20 to 49 employees and 42 percent of the employers
with less than 20 employees prefer the training be offered on-site at their businesses. The highest demand for
training offered at an educational institution was with the smaller employers, most likely due to lack of space
for training on site. Forty-three percent of the smaller employers (those with less than 20 employees) preferred
training be delivered at an educational institution, compared to only 38 percent of the employers with 20 to 49
employees and 25 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees.
Seventeen percent of the employers with 50 or more employees, 14 percent with 20 to 49 employees and 12
percent with less than 20 employees noted that their location preference for the training “depended.” For
those that noted the location “depended,” the size of the class, the type of training needed, work schedules,
availability of computers on campus, whether it was hands-on or in the field or in the classroom were the
variables which would be influence where the employers wanted the training provided. For the employers
who noted they preferred other sites for training, they indicated it did not matter and it made no difference.
20
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 14. Locations Of West Virginia Northern Community College
Preferred For Training By Size Of Employer
Wheeling
Wierton
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
New Martinsville
Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
The employers who are likely to work with West Virginia Northern Community College and indicated a
preference for training to be held on campus at West Virginia Northern Community College were then asked
which location of the College would be most convenient for them to send employees. As anticipated, the
responses varied typically by the location of the employers, as seen in Chart 14. Sixty-two percent of the
employers with 50 or more employees were likely to prefer the Wheeling location, 19 percent prefer the
Wierton location and 12 percent prefer the New Martinsville location. Sixty-five percent of the employers with
20 to 49 employees prefer the Wheeling location, 15 percent prefer the Wierton location and 15 percent prefer
the New Martinsville location. The smallest employers prefer to attend a location closest to their place of
business — 45 percent of the employers with less than 20 employers prefer to attend the Wheeling location,
18 percent prefer the Wierton location and 32 percent prefer the New Martinsville location. While less than
seven percent of the employers noted that another location of the College would be preferred, the majority
noted that all locations are close. Moundsville was cited as another location by several of the employers.
21
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 15. Need For Programming Other Than 8am To 5pm
By Size Of Employer
No
Weekends
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Nights
Weekends and
nights
Rotating shifts
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Time Frame Preferences. Almost half of the employers in the service area have no need for training
sessions to be offered other than 8am to 5pm during the work week, as seen in Chart 15 (65 percent of the
employers with less than 20 employees, 50 percent of those with 20 to 49 employees and 48 percent of those
employers with 50 or more employees). Of those employers who did report a need for training other than
8am to 5pm, the largest employers did report the highest need for training for their current employees after
hours because of rotating shifts (19 percent). Only nine percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and
four percent of the employers with less than 20 employees have rotating shifts. Fifteen percent of the
employers with more than 50 employees and 20 to 49 employees need training for their employees weekends
and nights as do 12 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. Twelve percent of the employers
with more than 50 employees, 14 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 12 percent of the
employers with less than 20 employees need night training only. Seven percent of the employers with 20 to 49
employers, six percent of the employers with less than 20 employees and four percent with more than 50
employees need training on the weekends.
22
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 16. Turnaround Expected To Deliver Training Program
By Size Of Employer
Days
Weeks
Less Than 20
20 To 49
Months
50 Or More
Other
Don't know
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Training Development. The employers were asked to share their expectations of how quickly they would
expect a vendor to have a specific training program developed and available for their employees when a
training need arose at their company. When asked this question in the personal interviews, the employers
made a distinction in delivery expectations between a “canned” training (already prepared and not customized
for the business) and a “customized” training (developed specifically in collaboration with the employer).
Overall, the employers expect a canned training to be ready in a few days and the customized training to take a
couple of months to develop.
As seen in Chart 16, seven percent of the employers with less than 20 employees believe the training should
be ready within seven days, 41 percent expect the training to take slightly longer than three weeks (3.1 weeks)
to be ready and 31 percent expect it will take a couple of months (2.4 months) to develop the training. Seven
percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees expect the training to take 17 days to develop, 35 percent
expect the training to be ready in less than three weeks (2.7 weeks) and 45 percent expect it should be ready
for delivery in three months (2.9 months). Twelve percent of the larger employers expect a training to be
ready in 28 days. Twenty-nine percent of the larger employers expect a vendor to have the training ready in
slightly more than three weeks (3.3 weeks) and 38 percent expect it will take two months to have the training
ready.
Thirteen percent of the employers with less than 20 employees did not respond with a time frame, nor did
nine percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 14 percent with 50 or more employees. Those
seven percent of the employers who noted an “other” response indicated they wanted it immediately, 24
hours or one year. Other employers responded it depends on the training, does not matter and have to see if
there is the desire.
23
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 17. Preferences For College Credit For Training Of Employees
By Size Of Employer
Receive credit
Less Than 20
20 To 49
No credit
50 Or More
Does not matter
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Preference For College Credit. The continual educational debate is whether employers want their
employees to receive college credit for training or not. Employers in the survey who wanted to receive training
were asked to define their preferences and the results are shown in Chart 17. Employers are more likely to
want their employers to receive college credit for training. Employee size alone does not account for the
differences in response — attitude toward education plays a key role. Sixty percent of the employers with 50
or more employees, 53 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 42 percent of the employers
with less than 20 employees prefer their employees receive college credit for training. These employers believe:
it is good for the employees, leads to promotions, employees move up the pay scale, get a chance at a degree,
is an incentive for employees, gives employees encouragement, CEUs are needed by employees and
employees are more likely to participate.
On the other hand, the employers who do not value education and see the benefit for employees are less likely
to support providing credit for training. Forty-two percent of the employers with less than 20 employees do
not want their employees to receive college credit for training, nor do 26 percent of the employers with 20 to
49 employees and 27 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees. The employers who did not want
their employees to receive college credit noted: employees need certifications, not necessary for employees,
older workers do not need degrees, not required, company hires degrees and workers would not do anything
with credit.
For the 14 percent of employers with 50 or more employees, 19 percent of the employers with 20 to 49
employees and 14 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees who noted credit did not matter to
them, they indicated that they hire trained and degrees, it is not needed, and as long as the employees get the
training the employer does not care.
24
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 18. Alternative Delivery Formats Most Likely To Be Used For
Training By Size Of Employer
Telecommunications
to your company
(video conference)
Computer based
training (CBT)
classes
Via Internet
Less Than 20
On CD-ROM
20 To 49
50 Or More
Instructor at
employer's site
Employees attend
training off-site
Videotaped courses
Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent More Likely
Alternative Delivery Preferred. Alternative methods of delivering credit classes and training make it more
convenient for employers to provide training and education to their employees. Employers interested in
providing training to their employers were asked if they would be more likely to offer classes or training to
their employees through various methods of alternative delivery. The methods that will most likely tempt
employers to offer more education and training are outlined in Chart 18.
Employers in the service area of West Virginia Northern Community College are slightly more likely to prefer
having an instructor on-site to provide training (especially larger employers) than to use computer based
training (CBT) to deliver training to their employees. Sixty-nine percent of the employers with less than 20
employees were likely to offer education and training by having an instructor on-site as would 69 percent of
the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 79 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees. Eighty
percent of the employers with less than 20 employees and two-thirds of the employers with 20 to 49
employees and those with 50 or more employees prefer for their employees to attend a training off-site.
Computer-based training (CBT) is of interest to more than 60 percent of the employers as a method to deliver
training to their employees. Sixty-two percent of the employers with 50 or more employees, 60 percent of the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and 69 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees preferred
training be delivered through computer based training (CBT). For those employers who would be more likely
to deliver education and training via computer, more than 93 percent would use the Internet and more than
82 percent would consider using a CD-ROM.
25
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Videotape courses would make more than half of the employers more likely to offer education and training to
their employees and the employers with the largest number of employees are most likely to prefer this
method. Seventy-three percent of the employers with 50 or more employees prefer videotape courses for
training delivery, as do 60 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 59 percent of the employers
with less than 20 employees. Less than half of the employers prefer to use telecommunications as a method to
deliver training to their employees, most likely because most are not wired for it. Forty-nine percent of the
employers with 50 or more employees would be more likely to offer training to their employees by using
telecommunications directly to their company, compared to only 28 percent of the employers with 20 to 49
employees and 31 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. The other suggestions offered by the
employers included: hands-on, correspondence, independent learning, seminars (day long conferences),
internship, online, PowerPoint, print media, train the trainer (and use our employees) and audio
teleconference.
26
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Relationships With Training Resources
Issues To Address

Need better internal communications plan and then training to define who to contact
when employers call for assistance; Develop written phone transfer policy for the
College; create a single point of contact (for example, one phone number like 800-WVN
4 BUS) for employers and market through online e-mails or direct mail

Create a quarterly newsletter of business and industry programming and client
testimonials; deliver to employers using both electronic and direct mail

Start to develop an employer list-serve to update employers of the training opportunities
offered by West Virginia Northern Community College; use short, concise e-mails for
both credit and noncredit programming
Summary Of Results
Chart 19. Usage Of West Virginia Northern Community College As
Training Location Or Training Resource By Size Of Employer
Used West Virginia Northern Community
College
Training location only
Conference facility
Less Than 20
Training for employees developed by
West Virginia Northern Community
College
20 To 49
50 Or More
Sent employees to classes at West
Virginia Northern Community College
Served on advisory committee
Source of employees
Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Percent
27
70
80
90 100
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
West Virginia Northern Community College As Training Provider. The employers in the service area of
West Virginia Northern Community College were asked if they have ever used West Virginia Northern
Community College as a training location or resource for their company’s employees. The larger employers
are much more likely to have used West Virginia Northern Community College as a training provider or a
training location, as noted in Chart 19. While 26 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees have
used West Virginia Northern Community College as a training location or resource, 29 percent of the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and 41 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees have used
the College. The employers who have not used West Virginia Northern Community College in this capacity
noted that is was not for lack of trying – they reported that they called and tried to use them but classes fell
through or worse yet, no one called them back. Several employers indicated they had tried to set up a class and
it was cancelled, another called for ISO training and they did not have any, another tried to recruit from the
college and no one sent students and another called and they did not respond. Other employers indicated that
they had not used the college because it was not needed (one-fourth), the employer has not done any training,
employer was not aware of what is there, did not know they exist, never have used them, never have
contacted me, corporate does it all or we are too specialized.
The primary use of West Virginia Northern Community College as reported by the employers has been
sending employees to classes at the College and using it for a source of classes. Of those employers who have
used West Virginia Northern Community College, 55 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees,
31 percent of those employers with 20 to 49 employees and 44 percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees have sent employees to classes at West Virginia Northern Community College. Sixty-seven percent
of the larger employers (those with 50 or more employees) have used West Virginia Northern Community
College as a source for employees as have 28 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees and 34
percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees.
Employers are likely to have served on an advisory committee at West Virginia Northern Community College.
Thirty-three percent of the employers with 50 or more employees have employees who have served on an
advisory committee at West Virginia Northern Community College, as have 19 percent of the employers with
20 to 49 employees and 32 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. One-fifth of the employers
have used West Virginia Northern Community College as a training location only and one-fifth of the
employers have used the College as a conference facility.
West Virginia Northern Community College has developed training programs for 31 percent of the employers
with 50 or more employees but only 19 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and eight percent
of the employers with less than 20 employees have used this service. The other uses of the College as noted by
the employers were: taken classes there, employees teach classes there, did computer testing for quality control
position, partnered with them, provide tutors for before and after school programs, recruiters tried to recruit
from there, job fair, asked for students but College did not send any and provided observation.
Communicating With Employers. According to the employers in the region, the best way to communicate
with them about future programming is still through mailings. More than two-thirds of the employers still
prefer direct mail — newsletter, fliers, leaflets and brochures — as the major method of contact. E-mail was a
preferred form of communication for 24 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees, 27 percent of
the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 13 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. A few
of the employers preferred personal contact as the main method of communication, while others preferred
telephone contact or using the Web site.
How frequently employers should be contacted about new offerings varied across the employers. Slightly
more than one-fourth of the employers noted quarterly contact was preferred because it matches their
28
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
business cycle and allows them some preplanning by quarter. Twenty-two percent of the employers prefer
monthly contacts, and others noted they would only like to be contacted a couple of times a year and others
still want to be contacted as needed — contact as new programs are made available, but the contact needs to
be short and direct.
29
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Academic Degree Programs Needed
Issues To Address

Revamp current academic programming as noted in the Curriculum Implications Section
Summary Of Results
Employers were asked to indicate if there were any academic degrees needed for their current employees. The
percentage of employers indicating a need for academic degrees for their current employees is presented in
Chart 20.
Chart 20. Academic Degree Programs Cited As Needed For Current
Employees By Size Of Employer
Certificate
programs
Associate degrees
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Bachelor's degrees
Graduate degrees
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent Needed
Certificate Programs (One-Year). More than one-fourth of the employers surveyed in the service area
cited a need for certificate programs for their current employees, as seen in Chart 20. Eighteen percent
of the employers with less than 20 employees noted a need for certificates for their current employees,
as did 31 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 44 percent of the employers with 50 or
more employees. Employers mentioned a teaching certificate for a four-year graduate. The primary areas
in which the employers cited a need for certificates included: computers, CNAs, CPR, crane operators,
EMTs, engineers, food handlers, LPNs, maintenance, mechanics, nurses, paramedics, pharmacy techs,
waste water, welders, secretaries, social workers and teacher’s aides. Employers also noted the need for
certificates in business, insurance, legal assistants, medical coding, mortuary sciences, police officers,
sales, marketing and medical assistants.
Other specific technical areas mentioned as areas in which certificates were needed for current
employees included: environmental, tool and die, apprentices, auto techs, electrical, drivers, funeral
embalmers, EPA certifications, fitness, forklift, hazmat, lab techs, machinists, maintenance, HVAC,
manufacturing, mechanics, miners, OSHA, pneumatics, safety and programmed logic controls, (PLC).
30
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Associate Degrees (Two-Year). The highest need for associate degrees was exhibited by the largest
employers, two to one. Associate degrees for current employees were reported as needed by 39 percent
of the employers with 50 or more employees, 17 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and
five percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. The key programs areas mentioned by the
employers in which they need associate degrees included: business, nurses, management,
secretaries/clerical, accounting, computers, social work and teacher’s aides.
The specific program areas in which associate degrees were reported as needed for current employees
include: counseling, culinary, early childhood, funeral directors, human services, paramedics, paralegals,
sales, supervisory, graphic arts and med techs. The technical areas in which employers indicated a need
for associate degrees for current employees are electricians, engineering, lab techs, machine
maintenance, die setters, drafting, electronics and environmental.
Bachelor’s Degrees (Four-Year). Forty-seven percent of the employers with 50 or more employees
reported a need for bachelor’s degrees for their current employees, compared to 24 percent of the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and eight percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. The
bachelor’s degrees in highest demand for the employees are in education, nursing, management,
accounting, business, counseling, engineers, human resources, human services and social work.
The other areas in which bachelor’s degrees were cited as needed for current employees include: early
childhood education, environmental chemist, hospitality, industrial engineer, merchandise, pharmacist,
physical therapy, prosthetics, architects, child development, data manager, information technology,
machine operators, medical records, psychology, safety, criminal justice, exercise physiologists,
psychology, logistics and public relations.
Graduate Degrees. The largest employers also exhibited the greatest need for their current employees
to obtain graduate degrees (as seen in Chart 20). Twenty-three percent of the employers in the service
area with 50 or more employees reported a need for graduate degrees for their current employees,
compared to only 13 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and six percent of those
employers with less than 20 employees. Graduate degree areas reported as most needed for current
employees in administration, business, law, management, education, engineering and social work. Other
graduate degrees the employers would like for their employees to pursue include: counseling, drafting,
environmental scientists, human resources, journalism, MBA, pharmacy, principals, prosthetics,
toxicologists and child development.
31
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Jobs Forecast
Issues To Address

Assure that educational ladders exist locally with partner universities in the areas of
Accounting, Management, Education, Nursing, Business, Criminal Justice and Social
Services
Jobs Forecast
U.S. Jobs Forecast. National jobs forecast also will impact the local job outlook. The national and state jobs
forecast data are presented in Appendix E. Computer occupations top the list of the fastest growing
occupations in the United States to the year 2010, followed by health care occupations. Of the top 10 fastest
growing occupations in the United States, eight are in computer occupations. The computer occupations that
are forecasted to be the fastest growing include: computer software engineers, computer support specialists,
network system administrators, data communications analysts, desktop publishers, database administrators
and computer systems analysts. Health care occupations fill out the remainder of the top 20 occupations. The
major increase in health care will occur in the area of “assistants,” or those who support and work with the
professionals. Careers in health care expected to be the fastest growing include: personal care aides, medical
assistants, social and human assistants, physician assistants, medical records technicians, home health aides,
physical therapy aides and assistants, and occupational therapy aides and assistants. Other occupations
rounding out the top 30 include a variety of occupations, such as veterinary assistants, speech pathologists,
dental assistants and hygienists, pharmacy technicians and teachers (special education to elementary to high
school), occupational therapy aides and assistants, and human service workers.
The other indicator of job growth is the increase in the number of jobs by occupational category. The largest
job growth in the United States forecasted from 2000 to 2010 primarily consists of occupations in the
hospitality, retail and service sectors. The occupations forecasted to increase in total numbers include: food
preparation and service workers, customer service representatives, registered nurses, retail salespersons,
computer support specialists, cashiers, office clerks, security guards, computer software engineers, and waiters
and waitresses. Unfortunately, many of these occupations in the United States expecting the largest job growth
(in numbers) are some of the lowest in pay and are without benefits.
By examining which industries in the United States are forecasted to grow from 2000 to 2010, another
indicator is given of the types of jobs for which colleges will need to prepare workers. The top five fastest
growing industries in the United States over the forecast period are anticipated to be computer and data
processing services, residential care, health services, cable and pay television, and personnel supply services.
West Virginia Jobs Forecast. The fastest growing jobs in West Virginia for the forecast period of 2002 to
2012 tend to be similar to those forecasted for the United States for 2000 to 2010 and contain a heavy
emphasis on jobs in health care (see Appendix E). Of the top 25 jobs forecasted for the highest percentage
job growth in West Virginia, 19 are in health care. Those occupations in health care forecasted to be the
fastest growing include: medical assistants, social and human service assistants, physical therapy assistants,
cardiovascular technologists and technicians, respiratory therapy technicians, physical therapy aides, respiratory
therapists, physician assistants, medical records and health information technicians, personal and home care
aides, physical therapists, radiation therapists, surgical technologists, dental hygienists, home health aides,
occupational therapists, dental assistants, medical and public health social workers and audiologists.
32
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
The other six jobs which round out the top 25 jobs forecasted for the fastest growth in West Virginia are:
computer software engineers-applications, computer software engineers-systems software, network systems
and data communications analysts, veterinary technologists and technicians, personal financial advisors and
hazardous materials removal workers.
The occupations forecasted to provide the largest number of jobs in West Virginia from 2002 to 2012 also
mirror the occupations in the national forecast with a few exceptions. The top 10 occupations which will
employ the largest number of people in West Virginia and provide the largest job availability in numbers of
jobs each year from 2000 to 2010 include: cashiers, fast food preparation and service workers, retail
salespersons, registered nurses, waiters and waitresses, laborers and freight, office clerks, janitors and cleaners,
general and operations managers and nursing aides. For many of these occupations, the increase in the
number of jobs is based on turnover rather than all new jobs being created.
Other occupations which will employ a large number of people and which will experience growth over the
forecast period include: stock clerks, secretaries, truck drivers, personal and home care aides, customer service
representatives, licensed practical nurses, maids and housekeeping cleaners, receptionists, information clerks,
maintenance and repair workers, home health aides, first line supervisors, sales representatives,
bookkeeping/accounting/auditing clerks, tellers and child care workers.
West Virginia Northern Community College’s Service Area. The primary Workforce Investment Area
(WIA) in the service area of West Virginia Northern Community College is Area Five, specifically the counties
of Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Tyler and Wetzel. The occupational forecasts for 2002 to 2012 for this
Workforce Investment Area are included in Appendix E. The fastest growing occupations in this WIA are
similar to those for the state and the top 25 are primarily in the field of health care. Those fastest growing
occupations in health care include: medical assistants, social and human service assistants, cardiovascular
technologists and technicians, respiratory therapy technicians, home health aides, respiratory therapists, dental
assistants, dental hygienists, medical records and health information technicians, pharmacists, pharmacy
technicians, surgical technologists, personal and home care aides, medical and health services managers,
registered nurses and physical therapists. Education is the other primary area which has some of the fastest
growing occupations in the top 25, specifically primary and secondary teachers, business teachers and English
teachers. Other occupations in the top 25 fastest growing occupations in the WIA include network systems
and data communications analysts, computer software engineers, life/physical and social science technicians,
database administrators, network and computer systems administrators and interviewers.
The occupations forecasted to provide the largest number of jobs in the WIA Five served by West Virginia
Northern Community College from 2002 to 2012 look very similar to the state and national forecasts. The top
10 occupations which will employ the largest number of people in the West Virginia Northern Community
College service area and provide the largest job availability in numbers of jobs each year from 2002 to 2012
include: cashiers, registered nurses, food preparation and serving-fast food, retail salespersons, laborers and
freight, waiters and waitresses, janitors and cleaners, social and human service assistants, LPNs, office clerks,
secretaries, stock clerks, general and operations managers, food preparation workers, child care workers, home
health aides, tellers, nursing aides, maids and housekeeping cleaners, carpenters, chemical plant and system
operators, bartenders, bookkeeping/accounting/auditing clerks, receptionists and information clerks and
maintenance and repair workers. The increase in jobs for many of these occupations is typically based on
turnover rather than on new jobs being created, especially those in food service and hospitality.
33
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Local Jobs Forecast
Recognizing it is difficult for employers to forecast their workforce in the next few years due to uncertain
economic conditions and unseen catastrophic events, employers were asked to share what their current plans
are for hiring employees over the next six to 24 months, both new hires and replacements. The employers
were asked to indicate the job title, the number needed (replacements or new hires), the minimum education
required, the average hourly wage and the skill sets needed for the positions. Chart 21 presents the summary
results of the numbers of jobs forecast by the minimum education required for those jobs by size of employer.
For a detailed listing of the jobs forecasted, see Appendix F. Appendix G presents the specific skill sets for the
occupations listed as needed. The following sections present an overview as to the types of jobs forecasted by
minimum educational requirements.
Chart 21. Jobs Forecasted By Minimum Educational Level Required By Size Of Employer
Education Required
No Education
High School
Certificate
Associate Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Graduate Degree
Not Noted
TOTAL
Less Than 20
#
%
145 21.4%
448 66.2%
28
4.1%
16
2.4%
25
3.7%
10
1.5%
5
0.7%
677 100.0%
Number Of Employees
20 To 49
50 Or More
#
%
#
%
177 28.4%
296 47.4%
97 15.5%
18
2.9%
32
5.1%
0
0.0%
4
0.6%
624 100.0%
512 27.1%
941 49.9%
230 12.2%
73
3.9%
112
5.9%
9
0.5%
10
0.5%
1,887 100.0%
Total
#
%
834 26.2%
1,685 52.9%
355 11.1%
107
3.4%
169
5.3%
19
0.6%
19
0.6%
3,188 100.0%
Of the 350 employers interviewed in the region, the employers forecasted they would be hiring a total of 3,188
people over the next six to 24 months (see Chart 21). The employers who employ 50 or more employees will
be hiring the majority of those positions, 1,887 positions, or 59.2 percent of the jobs forecasted. The
employers with less than 20 employees will hire 677 employees, or 21.2 percent of the occupations. The
employers with 20 to 49 employees forecast hiring 624 employees, or 19.6 percent of the total jobs forecasted.
More than 79 percent of the jobs forecasted as needed in the future by the employers in the service area will
only require a high school diploma (52.9 percent) or no education (26.2 percent), as seen in Chart 21. Of the
total jobs created through new hires and replacements, employers will require a certificate for 11.1 percent of
the positions hired. An associate degree will be required for only 3.4 percent of the jobs forecasted and the
largest employers (those with 50 or more employees) are the most likely to require an associate degree for the
forecasted positions. Five percent of the jobs forecasted will require a bachelor’s degree. Less than one percent
of the jobs forecasted will require a graduate degree.
34
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 22. Employee Needs By Occupation’s Minimum Educational Level
Education Required
No Education
High School
Certificate
Associate Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Graduate Degree
Not Noted
TOTAL
Total #
Employees
Needed
Percent
Replacements
Due To
Turnover
834
1,685
355
107
169
19
19
3,188
90.8%
73.9%
76.6%
61.7%
83.4%
26.3%
73.7%
Percent New
Hires
9.2%
26.1%
23.4%
38.3%
16.6%
73.7%
26.3%
Average
Hourly
Wage
$7.91
$8.70
$9.61
$12.65
$16.08
$15.00
$6.75
No Education Required. As noted above in Chart 21, more than 79 percent of the jobs forecasted as
needed over the next six to 24 months require no education. As seen in Chart 22, the majority of these “new”
positions are a result of turnover and less than 10 percent are due to new jobs being created. The average
annual hourly wage for the positions forecasted which will require no education is $7.91. For those employers
with less than 20 employees, 21.4 percent of the jobs forecasted will need no education, as will 28.4 percent of
the jobs forecasted by the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 27.1 percent of the jobs for the employers
with 50 or more employees. The types of positions forecast are typically in the food and service industries and
generally are lower paying, require no skills and have high turnover. Examples of these jobs are: baggers, bag
workers, food handing, cashiers, cooks, dishwashers, drivers, entry jobs, laborers, pharmacy techs, production,
servers/waitresses and shift restaurant workers.
High School Required. Overall, more than half (52.9 percent) of the forecasted positions will require a high
school diploma. Sixty-six percent of the jobs forecasted as needed by the employers with less than 20
employees require a high school diploma, as will 47.4 percent of the positions forecasted by the employers
with 20 to 49 employees and 49.9 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees as seen in Chart 21
earlier. Examples of the jobs requiring a high school diploma include: baggers, behavioral specialists,
carpenters, cashiers, daycare, clerical, cooks, corrections officers, customer service, dietary/housekeeping,
direct care workers, electronic technicians, fire fighters, food and beverage, general laborers, housekeeping,
laborers, line manufacturing, CNAs, patrol officers, pizza person, productions, resident health, sales associates,
sandblaster, servers/waitresses, stockers, tax preparers, taxi cab drivers, teacher’s aides, tellers, warehouse
workers, weekend merchandisers and welders. Of these positions, 26 percent are due to new hires and new
positions being created and the balance of the positions are replacements from turnover as noted in Chart 22.
The average hourly wage for these positions is only $8.70 per hour.
Certificates. Eleven percent of the total jobs forecasted will require a certificate, and the employers
with 20 to 49 employees are the most likely to hire those with certificates as seen in Chart 21 earlier.
Four percent of the positions being hired by the employers with less than 20 employees will require a
certificate, compared to 15.5 percent of the positions being forecasted as needed by the employers with
20 to 49 employees and 12.2 percent of the positions being created by the employers with 50 or more
employees as shown in Chart 21. For jobs that will require a certificate, 23 percent of them are new
positions. The remainder is typically due to turnover. Certificates will also pay a higher average hourly
wage than no education, with the average hourly wage at $9.61 for the positions requiring a certificate.
Certified nurses assistants are the most in demand occupational area for certificates. Other examples of
the jobs that will require a certificate include: claims processing, diesel mechanics, drivers, EMTs, inhome service personnel, miners, patient care technicians, paralegals and truck drivers.
35
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Associate Degrees. Associate degrees are in less demand than certificates in the service area, with 3.4
percent of the positions forecasted requiring an associate degree (see Chart 21) but 38 percent of the
positions being created are new positions. The average hourly wage for the positions requiring an
associate degree is $12.65 per hour as seen in Chart 22. The highest demand is seen with the largest
employers. Only 2.4 percent of the positions forecasted by the employers with less than 20 employees
will require an associate degree as seen in Chart 21. For the positions forecasted by the employers with
20 to 49 employees, only 2.9 percent of the positions will require an associate degree but 3.9 percent of
the positions forecasted by the largest employers (more than 50 employees) will require an associate
degree. Nursing is in high demand for an associate degree. Examples of other jobs requiring an associate
degree include accounting, department manager, equipment operator, radiology technicians, respiratory
therapists, sales associates, social workers, teacher’s aides and truck mechanics.
Bachelor’s And Graduate Degrees. Five percent of the jobs forecasted as needed require a bachelor’s
degree but less than one percent will require a graduate degree as seen in Chart 21; only 17 percent of
those bachelor’s degree positions will be new positions but 74 percent of the graduate degree positions
will be new positions (see Chart 22). Only 3.7 percent of the jobs forecasted by the employers with less
than 20 employees will require a bachelor’s degree, as will 5.1 percent of the positions forecasted by the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and 5.9 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees as seen
in Chart 21. The bachelor’s degrees in highest demand are teachers, information technology help desk
personnel and nurses. The other bachelor’s degrees mentioned as needed for future employees include:
biologists, case managers, children’s protective, office, reporters and sales. Education does pay since the
average hourly wage for the bachelor’s degree is $16.08.
The demand for graduate degrees is very low, overall. The jobs forecasted by employers with less than
20 to 49 employees will not require a graduate degree for any of the positions. Less than one percent of
the jobs forecasted by the employers with 50 or more employees will require a graduate degree. One and
a half percent of the employers with less than 20 employees forecast a graduate degree is needed.
Graduate degrees earn about what the bachelor’s degrees earn in this market— the average hourly rate
for those positions requiring a graduate degree is $15.00. Graduate degrees in demand include: speech
therapists, therapists, physical therapists and occupational therapists.
36
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Hired A Graduate Of West Virginia Northern
Community College
Issues To Address

Assure that the following areas are included in the organizational assessment to ensure that
the graduates have the academic preparation needed to succeed given the employers ratings:
Math, Computer skills and Writing skills
Summary Of Results
Chart 23. Hired A Graduate Of West Virginia Northern Community
College By Size Of Employer
Hired a graduate
Excellent
Less Than 20
Good
20 To 49
50 Or More
Average
Fair
Poor
Do not know
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Hired Graduate. Chart 23 presents the percent of the employers interviewed who have hired a graduate of
West Virginia Northern Community College in the last two years. As seen in Chart 23, larger employers are
more likely to have hired a graduate recently than the smaller employers. Twenty-one percent of the
employers with more than 50 employees have hired a graduate of West Virginia Northern Community
College in the last two years compared with 10 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and nine
percent of the employers with less than 20 employees. Those employers who had hired West Virginia
Northern Community College graduates were then asked to rate their overall success on the job as
“Excellent,” “Good,” “Average,” “Fair,” or “Poor.” All of the employers with 20 to 49 employees who hired
a West Virginia Northern Community College graduate rated the graduate as “Excellent” or “Good” as far as
job success. Ninety-three percent of the employers with less than 20 employees who hired a graduate of West
Virginia Northern Community College also agreed the graduates were “Excellent” or “Good.” Half of the
employers with 50 or more employees who hired a graduate of West Virginia Northern Community College
37
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
rated them as “Excellent,” 17 percent rate them as “Good,” but 33 percent simply knew they had hired
graduates but did not have them as direct reports and were unable to rate their success.
Chart 24. Ratings Of Graduates Hired From West Virginia Northern
Community College By Size Of Employer
Writing skills
Reading skills
Speaking skills
Math skills
Less Than 20
Computer skills
20 To 49
50 Or More
Problem solving
skills
Organizational
skills
Teamwork
Communication
Skills related to
major
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent Good or Excellent
The 43 employers who had hired graduates of West Virginia Northern Community College were then asked
to rate the graduates on specific characteristics. Chart 24 presents the percent of the employers who rated the
graduates as “Good” or “Excellent” on the specific characteristics. Overall, more than 70 percent of the
employers with less than 20 employees and those with 20 to 49 employees who hired graduates rated the
graduates as “Good” or “Excellent” on reading skills, speaking skills, problem solving skills, teamwork,
communication and skills related to their major. Smaller employers gave the graduates excellent ratings on
organizational skills, but the larger employers were less likely to rate those as excellent. The areas in which all
of the employers were less likely to give the graduates an “Excellent” or “Good” rating was in math skills,
computer skills and writing skills.
38
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Employee Educational Participation
Issues To Address

Direct market to employees with a tuition reimbursement program through employers
and note the benefits of attending college; use company newsletters to market a list of
courses that are “approved educational courses” for the employees; utilize the employee
list-serve to market the classes through the employer

Create a direct mail (postcard) campaign aimed at employed households to remind them
to ask their employers about tuition reimbursement

Create a “tuition gap” program for adult students who have tuition reimbursement
available upon completion; create competitive scholarship program for those with third
party payers, thus alleviating the front-end costs that the students have to deal with
when taking classes

Conduct on-site registrations at largest employers since large employers’ use of West Virginia
Northern Community College is as a source for credit classes; have West Virginia Northern
Community College recruiters visit major companies with credit class schedules and laptops
to register employees for classes; develop marketing materials specifically for employees posters, brochures, postcards
Summary Of Results
Many employers support the attempts of their employees to attain additional education and training through
employee programs. This section will detail the current level of educational participation by the employees, as
well as the support given them by the employers.
Chart 25. Employees' Educational Participation In College-Level
Classes By Size Of Employer
Less Than 20
College-level
classes taken in
area
20 To 49
50 Or More
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Employees’ Area College Enrollment. Chart 25 presents the percent of the employers who have
employees taking college-level classes in the area (that they are aware of). While only 36 percent of the
employers with less than 20 employees have employees taking college-level classes in the area, 43
percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 70 percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees are taking college classes from colleges in the area. The larger the employer, the more likely
the employer is to have employees participating in educational opportunities in the service area. Of the
39
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
350 employers interviewed, 164 employers could identify 398 employees who are currently enrolled in
educational institutions. The employers with less than 20 employees could account for 103 employees
enrolled in colleges in the area and the employers with 20 to 49 employees accounted for 108 employees
taking college-level classes in the area. The employers with 50 or more employees could account for 187
employees enrolled in college-level classes in the service area. Please note that many employers simply
did not have an accurate count of the number of employees enrolled – they simply knew they had
employees attending the area colleges.
The employers were also asked to indicate if any of their employees were taking Internet classes. Of
those employers responding, seven percent knew they had employees taking Internet classes. The
colleges in which the employees are enrolled in Internet classes include: Fairmont State College,
Jefferson Community College, Marshall University, University of Phoenix, Robert Morris University,
Salem International, University of Cincinnati, West Liberty State College, West Virginia Northern
Community College and West Virginia University.
Chart 26. Employees' Enrollment In Area Colleges
Belmont Technical College
12
Jefferson Community College
10
West Liberty State College
92
Employees
West Virginia Northern Community
College
119
West Virginia University
28
Wheeling Jesuit University
26
0
100
200
Number Of Employees Enrolled
The employers were also asked to specify not only how many employees were enrolled in colleges in the area,
but also to note where the employees were enrolled. Chart 26 presents the top colleges in which the
employees are enrolled. Overall, West Virginia Northern Community College enrolls the most employees in
the service area (119). Employers identified 92 employees who are attending West Liberty State College, and
28 attending Wheeling Jesuit University. These colleges comprise the top three institutions for attendance by
the employees.
40
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 27. Tuition Reimbursement Offered To Current Employees
By Size Of Employer
Offer tuition
reimbursement
Credit classes
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Continuing
education
CEUs
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Education Reimbursement Offered By Employers. The larger the employer, the more likely the employer
is to offer tuition reimbursement opportunities to their employees, as seen in Chart 27. Fifty-one percent of
the employers with 50 or more employees offer their employees a tuition reimbursement program. This
compares to only 25 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 18 percent of the employers with
less than 20 employees.
Eighty-two percent of the employers with less than 20 employees offer tuition reimbursement for credit
classes, and three-fourths offer reimbursement for continuing education and for CEUs. Eighty-five percent of
the employers with 20 to 49 employees are likely to offer employees tuition reimbursement for credit classes,
78 percent offer reimbursement for continuing education classes and 70 percent will pay reimbursement to
employees for CEUs. Of the largest employers (those with 50 or more employees), 98 percent of the
employers with 50 or more employees who offer tuition reimbursement pay for credit classes, but only 64
percent pay for continuing education classes and 61 percent reimburse employees for CEUs.
41
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 28. Employees Take Advantage Of Tuition Reimbursement
By Size Of Employer
Less Than 20
Employees not
taking advantage
of program
20 To 49
50 Or More
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
However, employees are not taking advantage of the tuition reimbursement programs that employers are
offering them. As seen in Chart 28, the employers with tuition reimbursement programs were asked if as
many of their employees take advantage of the tuition reimbursement program as they should. From the
results presented in Chart 28, the employers do not believe the majority of the employees are taking advantage
of it like they should. Sixty-four percent of the employers with less than 20 employees, 82 percent of the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and 75 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees noted that
their employees were not taking advantage of the tuition reimbursement program as much as they would like
to see. The employers indicated that the main reasons that the employees who were motivated did not
participate was because of family and a lack of time. Employers noted that the motivated employees are too
busy, courses are not offered at the right times, the hours worked by the employees and the schedule of the
classes. Employers also noted that some of their employees were simply not motivated to get education and
training because they are too old, are burned out, lack interest, are lazy and have no ambition and have no
motivation.
The employers who indicated that there were not as many of their employees taking advantage of the
reimbursement programs as there should be were then asked what services West Virginia Northern
Community College could offer to get more of their employees to take advantage of the programs.
Suggestions offered by the employers which may entice their employees included: nothing (11 percent),
babysitting services, come on-site and recruit, develop accelerated courses and jointly market with employer,
more information, more flexible classes and hours, online classes and send us information.
42
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 29. Timing Of Reimbursement For Educational Opportunities
By Size Of Employer
Upon completion
Less Than 20
20 To 49
Up front
50 Or More
Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
For the employees taking advantage of the tuition reimbursement offered by the employers, more than half
are reimbursed upon completion (57 percent of the employers with less than 20 employees, 70 percent of the
employers with 20 to 49 employees and 68 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees), which
means the employee has to front-end the cost, as seen in Chart 29. Completion can mean many different
things, and many employers note that it has to be successful completion for the reimbursement to be paid.
Successful completion is typically defined as passing a course with a grade of “C” or better or receiving a
“pass” in a pass or fail situation. Some employers reimburse based on a sliding grade scale, with a higher grade
receiving a higher percent reimbursement.
The smaller employers are more likely to pay the tuition reimbursement up front for their employees, most
likely as an incentive for them to attend. Thirty-two percent of the employers with less than 20 employees pay
for tuition reimbursement up front for their employees as do 20 percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees but only 15 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees pay for tuition reimbursement up
front. “Other” methods of reimbursement were noted by nine percent of the employers with 50 or more
employees, 15 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 11 percent of those employers with less
than 20 employees. Those “other” methods included scholarships, up front payment and a B or better.
43
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Chart 30. Usage Of Employer Reimbursement By Employees
By Size Of Employer
Tuition
Fees
Less Than 20
20 To 49
50 Or More
Books
Online courses
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
The employees who receive the tuition reimbursement can use it to pay for tuition (89 percent), fees (62
percent), books (57 percent) and online courses (61 percent). However, the level of employer support varies
by size of the employer, as seen in Chart 30. Eighty-five percent of the employers with less than 20 employees
allow the employees to use the reimbursement to pay for tuition, but only 61 percent allow the employees to
pay for fees and books, and only 46 percent allow for the payment of online courses with the reimbursement.
While 93 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees are likely to support tuition, only 70 percent of
the employers will allow the employees to use the reimbursement for fees, 67 percent allow payment for
books and 63 percent will allow the reimbursement to be used for online courses. The employers with more
than 50 employees are generous on the use of reimbursement for tuition (89 percent) but less generous for
fees (57 percent) and books (48 percent) but more generous for online courses (68 percent).
Chart 31. Continuing Education Required For Employees
By Size Of Employer
Less Than 20
Continuing
education (CEUs)
required
20 To 49
50 Or More
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Required CEUs. Overall, 31 percent of the employers in the service area require their employees to
participate in continuing education programs or use CEUs as a job requirement. Larger employers are
slightly more likely to require their employees to participate in continuing education or obtain CEUs as
44
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
seen in Chart 31. Twenty-nine percent of the employers with less than 20 employees require employees
to obtain CEUs, as do 31 percent of the employers with 20 to 49 employees and 37 percent of the
employers with 50 or more employees. The major areas mentioned by the employers in which the
employees have to obtain CEUs include: education (teachers), social work, healthcare (nurses and
others), pharmacists, police, real estate, social services and water treatment. Other industries in which
CEUs are required for employees include: accounting, environmental science, architecture, engineering,
banking, cosmetology, insurance, court reporting, funeral homes, mechanics, law, maintenance, mine
safety, OSHA, paralegals, paramedics, safety/ hazmat, counselors, physical therapists, surveyors and
CPR/ First Aid.
Chart 32. Total Annual Employer Spending On Training
By Size Of Employer
$114,570.00
Less Than 20
Annual
expenditures
20 To 49
$376,610.00
50 Or More
$507,100.00
$0.00
$250,000.00
$500,000.00
$750,000.00
Dollars
Employer Spending On Education And Training. The employers in the region were asked to indicate the
amount they spend each year on employee education and training to outside vendors or sending employees to
training. Chart 32 presents the results of the 105 employers that could or would respond to the question. The
105 employers spent $998,280 in the past year on education and training. The smaller employers (those with
less than 20 employees) spent the least, only $114,570. The employers with 20 to 49 employees spent
$376,610. The larger employers, those with 50 or more employees, spent slightly more than the other two
employer groups combined. The largest employers reported spending $507,100 on training.
45
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Business Characteristics
Summary Of Results
Chart 33. Educational Attainment Of Employees
By Size Of Employer
College
Less Than 20
20 To 49
High school or
GED
50 Or More
No high school
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Percent
70
80
90
100
Educational Attainment. Chart 33 presents the educational attainment of the employees by size of employer
for the companies surveyed. The smaller employers (those with less than 20 employees) have 24 percent of
their employees with a two-year or four-year college degree, 66 percent with a high school diploma or GED,
and two percent have not completed high school. The employers with 50 or more employees almost mirror
the smaller employers since 23 percent of the employees have a two-year or four-year college degree, 59
percent of the employees have a high school diploma or GED, and two percent have not completed high
school. Only 17 percent of the employees with 20 to 49 employees have a college degree, but 73 percent have
completed high school or a GED, and four percent have not completed high school.
Chart 34. Current And Predicted Employment Characteristics By Size Of Employer
Less
Than 20
Current Number of Employees
Full-Time
Part-Time
Percent Forecasting Increase In Employees
Full-Time
Net Increase In Employees (number)
Part-Time
Net Increase In Employees (number)
Percent Forecasting Decrease In Employees
Full-Time
Part-Time
20 To 49
50 Or
More
1821
569
3431
745
18510
2026
27.3
152
16.9
106
29.4
232
16.5
66
24.3
1294
10.3
123
0.6
0.0
0.9
0.0
4.4
0.0
Current And Predicted Employment. The 350 employers represented in the survey account for 23,762 fulltime employees and 3,340 part-time employees (see Chart 34). The smallest employers, those with less than 20
employees, account for 1,821 total full-time employees and 569 part-time employees. The employers with 20
to 49 employees account for 3,431 full-time employees and 745 part-time employees. The largest employers,
those with 50 or more employees, employ 18,510 full-time employees and 2,026 part-time employees.
46
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Of the 350 employers in the survey, the predictions for full-time employment was steady across all the
employers, regardless of size, but there were differences in the expectations for employment increases, as seen
in Chart 34. Overall, more than one-fourth of the employers across the employer groups are anticipating an
increase in full-time employment over the next year. Twenty-seven percent of the employers with less than 20
employees are anticipating increasing full-time employment in the next year and that would add an additional
152 employees. Seventeen percent of these employers also plan to increase part-time employment that would
add 106 employees to the work pool in the service area. Twenty-nine percent of the employers with 20 to 49
employees are anticipating an increase in full-time employment, which would add another 232 employees to
the workforce and sixteen percent of the employers will add part-time employees (66 employees added).
Twenty-four percent of the employers with 50 or more employees plan to add full-time employees, 1,294
employees, and 10 percent of these employers will add 123 part-time employees.
Chart 35. Summary Of Business Characteristics By Size Of Employer
Less
Than 20
Business Type
Sole Proprietorship
Partnership
Corporation
Privately Owned
Publicly Held
Government
Nonprofit
Group SIC Code
Agriculture, Forestry And Mining
Contractors And Construction
Manufacturing
Transportation, Communications And Facilities
Wholesale Trade
Retail Trade
Finance, Insurance And Real Estate
Business And Personal Services
Health Services
Legal Services
Education And Social Services
Art And Membership Organizations
Engineering, Architecture And Accounting
Household & Miscellaneous Services
Government (Public Administration)
Non-Classifiable Establishments
Average Number Years In Operation
Would Like a Copy Of The Survey Results
20 To 49
50 Or
More
13.6
5.8
59.7
78.3
19.6
11.7
7.1
11.0
5.5
59.6
81.5
13.8
11.0
11.0
5.7
0.0
58.6
52.9
41.2
14.9
19.5
0.0
5.2
14.9
8.4
6.5
25.3
6.5
9.1
5.2
1.3
7.8
1.9
1.9
0.0
5.8
0.0
37
74.7
0.0
7.3
15.6
10.1
5.5
22.0
5.5
6.4
8.3
3.7
7.3
0.0
1.8
0.0
6.4
0.0
39
77.1
1.1
4.6
20.7
4.6
4.6
18.4
3.4
4.6
13.8
1.1
16.1
1.1
0.0
0.0
4.6
1.1
48
85.1
Business Classifications. Almost 60 percent of the employers are likely to be in a corporate form of
ownership – the largest employers are more likely to be public (41 percent) and the smaller employers are
more likely to be privately held (78 percent plus) as seen in Chart 35. The smaller employers are more likely to
be in a sole proprietorship or a partnership than the larger employers. Fifteen percent of the largest employers
are government and 20 percent are nonprofit.
Each employer’s SIC (standard industrial classification) code was noted on the survey to assure that a
representative sample was actually obtained in the survey. As found in Chart 35, the sample is representative
of the number of employers and the types of employers across the service area. Twenty-five percent of the
47
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
smallest employers in the service area are in retail trade, 15 percent are in manufacturing, nine percent are in
business services and personal services and eight percent are in transportation, communications and facilities.
The employers with 20 to 49 employees are more diverse with 22 percent in retail trade, 16 percent in
manufacturing, 10 percent in transportation, communication and facilities, eight percent in health services and
seven percent in education and social services. The manufacturing sector is represented most among the
largest employers, with 21 percent in manufacturing, 18 percent in retail trade, 14 percent in health services
and 16 percent in education and social services. Overall, less than six percent of the employers are
government.
The employers have been in business for more than 37 years. The average length of operation for the
employer with less than 20 employees is 37 years, for employers with 20 to 49 employees the average years of
operation is 39 years and the largest employers have been in business for 48 years. Three-fourths of the
smallest employers would like a summarized copy of the survey, as would 77 percent of the employers with 20
to 49 employees and 85 percent of the employers with 50 or more employees. This provides the College a
perfect opportunity to provide feedback to the employers who responded to the survey.
48
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Curriculum Implications
West Virginia Northern Community College presented to CLARUS Corporation a document detailing the
enrollments and FTE for the past five years by program area (see Appendix G). Included in this
documentation were the annual headcount and the FTE for all programs at the College from Fall 1999 to Fall
2003 at West Virginia Northern Community College. The current catalog and schedule were also examined in
detail to evaluate the current programming at the College, as well as the programming offered at Belmont
Technical College and the Community College of Allegheny County since the northern portion of the service
area for West Virginia Northern Community College is tied to the Pittsburgh area. After examining the
programming, recommendations were made for enhancing, revamping and even deleting programs across the
campus. Meetings were held with interested faculty for input on the program recommendations on January 26
and 27, 2005. Recommendations will be presented by major program areas.
Business
In the last five years, the Business curriculum has undergone much revamping in an effort to revitalize the
headcounts and graduates. Like other colleges across the country, the enrollments in the Business program
areas have been in decline. However, there is still demand for business programming in the local market area
as well as nationally. In the Business curriculum, the headcounts for the program areas in the last five years are
presented in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Business Program Enrollments
Program
Fall
1999
Fall
2000
Fall
2001
Fall
2002
Fall
2003
93
7
68
6
65
4
57
50
66
82
43
18
3
17
7
75
34
21
5
10
13
83
29
14
5
11
20
55
6
5
65
3
74
35
32
4
11
22
3
36
3
50
21
11
23
17
34
1
14
26
63
Business Administration Transfer, AAS
Business Administration, Banking
Business Studies Accounting, AAS
Accounting
Business Studies Hospitality, AAS
Business Administration, AAS
Office Tech (Administrative Assistant) AAS
Office Tech (Medical/ Dental) CP
Office Tech (Int Business Systems) AAS
Office Tech (Office Support) CP
Small Business Management, CP
Business Studies Executive Administrative
Assistant, AAS
Accounting. Moving from the Accounting program to a Business Administration Accounting specialization
has not impacted the Accounting program enrollments. Overall, the Accounting enrollments are at 71
students in Fall 2003 compared to 70 who were enrolled in Fall 2002. Serious consideration should be given to
adding several new courses — not as a mandatory part of curriculum, but as course options — which may
also have a potential market among the adults in the marketplace with business degrees. The classes to
consider adding to the curriculum are Auditing, Governmental Accounting, Tax Accounting (apparently just
added) and Payroll Accounting. In addition, a supervisory management course should also be added to the
AAS program. When showing the name of the program in the catalog, the Accounting should be emphasized
49
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
so the potential students can find the program easily instead of having to read through the Business
Administration Curriculums.
A one year computerized Accounting program should be added to the curriculum. The one year program
would transfer completely into the current Accounting curriculum and should be composed of the basic
accounting courses, the needed general education courses, computer application packages and a computerized
accounting package.
Real Estate. West Virginia Northern Community College should consider adding a Real Estate option under
the Business Administration program. Upon examining the courses offered, there appears to be enough
courses available to offer this option to students.
Business Administration Program. Given the changes in the marketplace, a terminal AAS program in
business typically will not offer macroeconomics and microeconomics, but instead will offer courses such as
Principles of Leadership, Supervision, Marketing, Public Relations and Sales which are more relevant to the
student who will move directly into a business position in the marketplace. In addition, the one hour courses
in Spreadsheets, Database Management, Computer Presentations and Document Preparation and Design and
Layout needs to be replaced with a combined computer applications course (preferably Microsoft Office
Suite) and computer literacy.
Office Technology and Business Studies Executive Administrative Assistant. The Office Technology
programming and the Business Studies Executive Administrative Assistant program should all be combined
into an Office Management (rename) overall program with options in Medical/ Dental Office, Legal Office
(new) and General Office. Replace the one hour courses in Spreadsheets, Database Management, Computer
Presentations and Document Preparation and Design and Layout with a combined computer applications
course (preferably Microsoft Office Suite) and computer literacy course.
Many secretaries and administrative assistants who graduate from the program and go to work in the area are
likely to work for a small business, most likely in a one person office. Given the likelihood of this scenario,
several courses should be added to the office management program to make it market current. The courses
which should be added include: Supervisory Management, Inventory, Payroll Accounting and Computerized
Accounting. In addition, several certificate options should be added under Office Management which would
allow for a computer application specialist and an accounting specialist.
After adding the Legal Office option to the Office Management Program, examine adding a paralegal
program to the College’s curriculum.
Hospitality. Given the limited depth and breadth of actual hospitality courses, delete the program from the
College’s list of curriculum. Explore adding the program back into the Culinary Arts curriculum at a later point
in time when it can have the depth and breadth needed.
Banking. It appears that the Banking program has been closed, as it should have been. There is almost no
demand for a banking program.
Supervisory Management. Explore adding a Supervisory Management option to the Business
Administration AAS program. There is demand for this program in the service area and there are possibilities
that this program can be offered to employees in other states as well as local employers through corporate
company offerings if the program is developed as an online option as well. Create a certificate of Supervisory
Management and an associate option as well.
50
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Health Careers
As seen across the country at this time, the demand for health career graduates are exploding and the demand
is exceeding the supply. However, educational programs in health careers are highly regulated through the
accreditation agencies which control the number of students, the faculty to student ratios and the curriculum.
In addition, the health careers are typically very high-cost programs with small numbers of students. Currently
West Virginia Northern Community College has 503 students enrolled in the Nursing program (the largest
program enrollment on campus), but a majority of them may not be accepted into the Nursing program.
Thus, it is extremely important to offer other health programs which can accept some of the enrollments from
the Nursing program. Figure 2 presents the enrollments in the health careers at West Virginia Northern
Community College over the last five years.
Figure 2. Health Career Enrollments
Program
Fall
1999
Fall
2000
Fall
2001
Fall
2002
Pre-Health Science Undecided
Nursing, AAS
Medical Laboratory Technology
Radiologic Technology, AAS
Surgical Technology, CP
Respiratory Care, AAS
Surgical Technology, AAS
Health Information Technology, AAS
Paramedic Tech
26
309
23
19
50
55
6
269
26
22
49
44
7
38
13
8
346
22
20
60
41
8
38
9
11
455
9
29
71
45
22
41
11
35
15
Fall
2003
503
51
63
71
49
41
New Program Areas. After examining the market data and the jobs which employers were listed as needed,
West Virginia Northern Community College should examine the following areas as new programs in the
health careers. In order of highest priority to lowest priority, they include:

Medical Assisting AAS

Medical Coding Certificate (insurance as well as hospital coding)

Medical Transcriptionist Certificate

Occupational Therapy Assistant
 Physical Therapy Assistant
Medical Assisting is in high demand not only with employers but with potential students as well. Medical
Assisting provides the students who may not be accepted into the nursing program another option in health
care. The Health Information Technology program should become a completely online program and the
Medical Coding and Medical Transcriptionist programs should also have online options.
Radiology. After examining the Radiology program offered by West Virginia Northern Community College,
one finds that West Virginia Northern Community College only offers the general education components of
the program and that two hospital-based radiology programs control the actual technical programming. Due
to limited enrollment potential in the two programs, West Virginia Northern Community College should
consider creating their own radiology program and including specializations and options in Diagnostic Medical
Sonography (Certificate and Associate), Computer Assisted Tomography, MRI Scanning and Nuclear
Medicine Technology.
51
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Continuing Education. West Virginia Northern Community College should explore adding additional
programming to assist those employed in health careers to maintain their CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
for licensing. Although the hospitals added many continuing education programs for their employees, there
appears to still be demand for the more technical programming and cutting edge technology to be offered.
However, to successful offer continuing education for health careers, a person may need to be added at West
Virginia Northern Community College to run the program.
Human Services
Demand has increased for workers in Human Services over the last few years and enrollments have continued
to increase to meet the demand. Figure 3 presents the enrollments in the Human Services programming at
West Virginia Northern Community College over the last five years.
Figure 3. Human Services Enrollments
Program
Fall
1999
Fall
2000
Fall
2001
Fall
2002
34
35
30
12
Human Services (Transfer)
Social Work, AA
Human Services, AAS
Human Services
Human Services (Child Development) CP
Human Services (Child Development) AAS
Elementary Education, AA
31
18
15
36
33
8
8
43
28
5
7
51
40
2
8
43
27
Fall
2003
5
49
9
58
112
New Programming. Social Work has been added as a new program option and was much needed. The
Social Work program area should also examine adding specialists in Case Management, Family Intervention
and Geriatrics. There is also a demand for Drug and Alcohol Counselors (AAS degree), which work in human
services agencies. West Virginia Northern Community College should examine adding a program in Drug and
Alcohol Counseling.
The final area in Human Services in which the College should consider adding a program is the Teacher’s
Assistant/ Aide. There is additional demand for these program areas as early childhood programs change in
the state of West Virginia and as the implementation of “No Child Left Behind” moves forward. Although
there was not high job demand in the immediate market area, there may be in the adjoining markets and it is
an area of high demand and interest to potential students and a great lead into the Elementary Education AA
program.
Criminal Justice
Demand for graduates in Criminal Justice has been high over the last five years as has the interest in the area
as a vocation by potential students. Figure 4 presents the enrollments in the Criminal Justice programs at West
Virginia Northern Community College over the last five years.
52
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Figure 4. Criminal Justice Enrollments
Program
Fall
1999
Fall
2000
Fall
2001
Fall
2002
Fall
2003
83
73
85
69
1
79
Criminal Justice, AAS
Criminal Justice (Corrections) AAS
Criminal Justice, 2+2, AAS
2
New Programming. Homeland Security is a key program area which should be explored by West Virginia
Northern Community College, but is not an easy area to quickly develop a new program. There is not yet a
nationally recommended curriculum in the area of homeland security and currently, even employers do not
know what they mean when they say they need training in “Homeland Security.” Employers were asking for
training on terrorism (threat of) and bioterrorism. It is recommended that the faculty in Criminal Justice meet
with local employers as well as some in the Pittsburgh market and define the needs in a Homeland Security
program, and then create the program. In the meantime, the College should offer these courses in Continuing
Education.
Computer Information Technology
Nationally, the demand for computer application training has slowed and it was not as high with employers in
the service area as one saw five years ago. However, a major issue with the employers was the poor computer
usage skills of their current hires and potential hires, especially with the Microsoft Office application
components. Employers are demanding that the potential hires be well versed with Office application
software and demand is high for training on the Excel program. Even when employers rated the West
Virginia Northern Community College graduates, the math skills, computer skills and writing skills received
the lowest ratings. Figure 5 presents the enrollments in the computer information technology programs at
West Virginia Northern Community College over the last five years.
Figure 5. Computer Information Technology Enrollments
Program
Fall
1999
Fall
2000
Fall
2001
Fall
2002
Fall
2003
30
145
26
127
5
24
89
19
13
39
30
6
12
Computer Applications, CP
PC Special/ Computer Operations, CP
Computers/ Information Processing, AAS
College-Wide Computer Proficiency. Given the demand for proficiency in the Microsoft Office
applications, it is recommended that every student who graduates from the College have a minimum of three
to six hours of computer literacy and applications. Regardless of the industry today, almost every person has
to deal with computers and use them daily – from manufacturing to health care to education to offices.
Employers are also noting that the computer proficiency issue is not simply an older worker phenomenon.
Younger workers appear to be proficient on the Internet, downloading songs and instant messaging, but not
in the computer applications employees need. It is recommended that the one hour courses in spreadsheets,
databases, documents, and presentations be redone into a Microsoft Office Computer Application program
and all students at the college be required to enroll in the course. An institutional outcome for the College
should be computer proficiency and should be included in the overall assessment plan.
53
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
New Programming and Realignment of Options. Examining the courses offered by the Computer
Information Technology department, it appears that the majority of the programming needed in today’s
market is being taught, but the options needed in the current programming is not packaged correctly and
needs to be in a ladder format. For example, the Department needs to offer courses packaged together as
options and adding all options together will lead to the Associate degree. Figure 6 presents an example of the
program options in Computer Information Technology based on job types, starting with short term
certificates and moving to graduate degrees. This may provide a starting point for the realignment of
programs.
Figure 6. Information Technology Job Continuum
Typically the Computer Information Technology will have options in data processing specialist or help desk
support, a Web design component, a network component, a software development (programming)
component and a systems analysis component. Web design needs to be an option rather than just a course or
two in the area.
Move BA Courses Into CIT. Currently, the word processing (Word) is being offered in the Business
Administration Department and spreadsheets and databases are offered in the Computer Information
Technology department. The Computer Information Technology department should offer all the computer
54
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
application courses and the Word course needs to be brought back into the Computer Information
Technology department and offered in the revamped Microsoft Office Suite course.
Technology
Employers in the service area indicated that potential employees in the technical areas are not available.
Overall, West Virginia Northern Community College simply does not have the technology programming
needed by the market. Figure 7 presents the enrollments in the technology programs at West Virginia
Northern Community College over the last five years.
Figure 7. Technology Enrollments
Program
Electronic Technology
Industrial Technology: Manufacturing
Industrial Technology: Drafting/ CADD, AAS
Industrial Technology: Science and Tech, AAS
Industrial Technology: General Tech
Refrigeration, AC/ Heating, AAS
Major Appliance Repair, CP
Industrial Technology: Engineering Tech, AAS
Industrial Technology: Industrial Tech, AAS
Industrial Technology: Production Tech, AAS
Industrial Maintenance Technology, CP
Horticulture Technology, AAS
Fall
1999
Fall
2000
Fall
2001
Fall
2002
32
5
47
5
11
3
3
2
2
31
4
2
3
4
2
7
33
2
1
13
7
4
3
6
2
1
1
5
2
1
31
3
1
3
2
4
1
Fall
2003
2
1
49
1
2
1
4
The only program which has done well over the last five years is the Refrigeration program. Enrollments have
remained steady over the last five years. Based on the market demand, Electronics is needed in the market and
the College has recently deleted the program. There is an increasing demand in the market for Electronics and
one company that was interviewed is hiring Electronics graduates directly from ITT in the Pittsburgh market.
The new Electronics program needs to have a computer technology component and emphasize programmed
logic control (PLC) as well as electronics curriculum. Other potential technology programs which may be
useful to the employers in the market include:

Cosmetology

Welding

Logistics/ Distribution/ Commercial Drivers’ License

Auto Mechanics
 Drafting/ Design
Upon investigation, one finds that the High Schools are offering several of the technology programs needed
in the region during the day to the high school market; for example, auto mechanics. However, this does not
solve the problem of the older worker who wants to major in a technology area for a career change or who
has been laid off. West Virginia Northern Community College must examine potential partnerships to offer
the technology programming, like auto mechanics, in the evening to the adult market. The market need exists
for the programming from both the employers’ perspective and the potential students’ perspective.
55
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Culinary Arts
The Culinary Arts program has been a Center of Excellence at the College, providing high enrollments and
high visibility for the College. In the facility plan for the new building, Culinary Arts will receive some much
needed space. Figure 8 presents the enrollments in the culinary program at West Virginia Northern
Community College over the last five years.
Figure 8. Culinary Arts Enrollments
Program
Culinary Arts, AAS
Culinary Arts, CP
Fall
1999
Fall
2000
Fall
2001
Fall
2002
Fall
2003
43
9
44
7
40
9
47
6
53
9
It is recommended that after the Culinary Arts program moves into the new building and has more space, the
program should offer additional opportunities for continuing education in the food industry. The program
should be the premier provider of the Food Handling and Safety program and training for certification for
employers. Demand is high for this program, since the turnover in this industry is very high. In addition, there
is great market opportunity for the culinary program to offer programming in foods for continuing education
— for example, cooking classes for adults in various food types. However, there may be a need for an
additional faculty member to run the increased continuing education and the certification options that are
needed by the employers.
AA and AS Programming
Typically in a community college, the enrollments in the AA and AS transfer programs comprise more than
half of the enrollments of the college. Figure 9 presents the enrollments in the transfer programs at West
Virginia Northern Community College over the last five years.
Figure 9. Technology Enrollments
Program
Fall
1999
Fall
2000
Fall
2001
Fall
2002
Fall
2003
Associate in Arts, AA
Associate in Science, AS
211
74
233
58
219
58
215
48
117
55
The transfer enrollments at West Virginia Northern Community College most likely would be higher if the
College would expand the AA and AS offerings. Currently, in the catalog for West Virginia Northern
Community College, the AA programs and the AAS programs are simply listed as AA and AS. It is very
difficult for potential students to enroll in a “Sociology” transfer program when it appears that West Virginia
Northern Community College does not offer a “Sociology” program. However, when examining the courses
offered by the College, a student can take the first two years of a “Sociology” program and then transfer to a
four-year college. It is a matter of repackaging the current AA and AS programming and defining areas of
interest for the potential students in each of these transfer program area. Areas in which the College can
consider splitting out the AA include: Art, Economics, English, History, Journalism, Psychology and
Sociology. The areas that the College should consider splitting out of the AS include Biology, Chemistry,
Mathematics and Physics. In addition, the College should examine listing the curriculum for the preprofessional programs in which the students can transfer like Pre-Med, Pre-Law and Pre-Engineering.
56
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Appendices
57
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Appendix A. Questionnaire
A-1
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Appendix B. Tabular Results By Size Of Employer
B-1
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Appendix C. Detailed Verbatim Responses
C-1
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Appendix D. Occupational Forecasts
D-1
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Appendix E. Jobs Forecast Matrix
E-1
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Appendix F. Skill Sets For Jobs Forecast Matrix
F-1
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Appendix G. Program Headcount And FTE Of
West Virginia Northern Community College, 1999
To 2003
G-1
WEST VIRGINIA NORTHERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCAN RESULTS 
JANUARY 2005
Appendix H. Tabular Results By Geographic
Region
H-1