I love the culture – I think it’s unique.” “I love the state – I think it’s beautiful. Raised in Spencer, Vodden said it has always been her intention to remain in the state she was born and raised in. Jessica Vodden has lived in West Virginia her entire life. This new business model addresses the issue of population loss and lack of job opportunities in a unique and innovative way by bringing employers directly to the employees instead of the other way around.
![herald dispatch herald dispatch](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/herald-dispatch.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/83/b83b09ba-cd27-5adc-bdab-8214d24ddecb/62761277ea90c.image.jpg)
Similar to when companies outsource certain jobs overseas, most commonly India, West Virginians are encouraging companies to instead outsource those jobs to qualified employees they have trained and sought out in the Mountain State. Instead, they are based in California, Philadelphia and Tennessee, with the possibility of being located anywhere in the United States or even the world. While these new companies and programs are seeking out Appalachians based in West Virginia, mainly Huntington as of now, many of the employers are not. In an effort to address both of these issues, companies and partnerships have been established in Huntington with the hope of rebranding the area as a tech hub with opportunities for employees and employers.īeing referred to by some as the Silicon Holler, the leaders of the initiative aim to attract Appalachian residents who already have the knowledge or are willing to learn about programming, developing and coding and connect them with employers. While there are many factors that contribute to the exodus of West Virginians, one major contributing factor is jobs.Īs of November, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, compared with the national rate of 3.7 percent.
![herald dispatch herald dispatch](https://ak-cache.legacy.net/legacy/images/cobrands/herald-dispatch/Photos/0118_OH_Hall_01_48803_20190117.jpg)
HUNTINGTON - For the past six years, West Virginia has seen a gradual decline in population, dipping from roughly 1.85 million residents in 2012 to 1.81 million as of July 2018, according to the U.S.
![herald dispatch herald dispatch](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/herald-dispatch.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7a/47ad7d72-fd14-5364-958d-a598b58e28a0/5d520240cc15d.image.jpg)
This article was originally published by the Herald-Dispatch.