Workforce

Accolades about Virginia’s Data Center Workforce 

• According to Cyberstates 2018 report, Virginia ranks third in the country for highest concentration of IT worker, offering particular strength in the concentration of network and computer systems administrators.
• Virginia ranks third in the nation for best workforce and is the leading East Coast destination for best overall business climate according to CNBC’s ranking of America’s Top States for Business 2018.

Southern Virginia combines the IT workforce of Virginia and North Carolina.

Southern Virginia offers data center companies who come to the region a direct pipeline to one of the largest, most highly trained and sustainable data center workforces in the United States.

A right-to-work state 

Virginia is a right-to-work state with the 9th-lowest unionization rate in the U.S. at 5.9%.

STEM training at an early age 

Virginia’s commitment to fostering a strong workforce starts early, as young as pre-Kindergarten.  The focus on teaching a STEM-based curriculum (science, technology, engineering and math) continues through high school and beyond.  Schools encourage students to explore STEM-enriched programs to prepare them for a future STEM career in fields including IT. 

With such a strong STEM foundation, many local residents opt to pursue majors in STEM-based fields of study, eventually graduating and ready to take their place among the emerging local workforce. This creates a strong, sustainable local workforce and Virginia infrastructure that continuously produces the next generation workforce that is highly adaptable and uniquely qualified for work in the IT space.

Home to community colleges and higher education centers 

The Virginia Community College System oversees a network of 23 community colleges in Virginia, which serve residents of Virginia and provide two-year degrees and various specialty training and certifications. Southern Virginia is home to Danville Community College (DCC), Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC), Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) and Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC).  

In addition, Southern Virginia is home to three higher education centers, including  New College Institute (NCI), Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC), and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR).  

These seven institutions work together and with other four-year universities to deliver robust, relevant, and progressive workforce training solutions to meet the specific needs of businesses in and around Southern Virginia. By locating here, your business has a direct pipeline of employees as they graduate from associate’s degree and specialized certification programs.

Proximity to major higher education universities

Southern Virginia is centrally located near a plethora of top-ranked four-year colleges and universities. This gives your business the opportunity to reach and attract top talent with Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees.   

In the region, your business can source talent from Longwood University, Averett University, Hampden-Sydney College, and Liberty University.  Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, and George Mason University are major Virginia universities just outside of the Southern Virginia footprint.

Across the state line in North Carolina, your business has access to talent from Duke University, UNC – Chapel Hill, UNC – Greensboro, UNC – Charlotte, and N.C. State.   

Southern Virginia is also well-situated between North Carolina’s Research Triangle and Ashburn/Richmond’s established data center clusters. 

As your business seeks to hire talent, Southern Virginia is located within a commutable distance to major cities and talent hubs, making it easy for businesses to pull talent from neighboring regions, a practice that serves to further enrich the caliber of talent that can be sourced “locally.”

Find out more about Virginia’s Business Incentives and how the state of Virginia supports business growth.