On Monday, July 18, several staffers from the Office of Economic Development traveled to Richmond, Virginia to discuss the statewide aviation workforce’s strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. The Office of Economic Development has been working to create a plan to strengthen the aviation and aerospace workforce in the Commonwealth since engaging with the Virginia Department of Aviation.
The input session on Monday provided our economic development specialists an opportunity to solicit insightful feedback from stakeholders on all sides of the aviation pipeline, from educators to industry. The discussion was productive and engaging, and led to connections being made between stakeholders. On all counts, the session was valuable, and will help our economic development specialists continue to craft a helpful plan for the Commonwealth.
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- Scott Tate opens the discussion, presenting the project purpose, methods, and approach.
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- The conference room in the Hilton Garden Inn was packed with stakeholders from across the state.
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- Stakeholders attentively listen in as our economic development specialists provide more information and data from the project.
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- Stakeholders take some time to brainstorm the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities of the Virginia aviation workforce.
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- Our newest member of the office, Allison Homer, jumped right into the project on her first day of the job.
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- Stakeholders discuss the aviation workforce among themselves.
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- Our economic development specialists, like Scott Tate (pictured right), were on hand to listen in and help guide discussions.
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- Elli Travis helped collect responses from stakeholders during a room-wide discussion. Travis presented information on the surveys and interviews conducted so far with STEM educators.
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- Stakeholders provide insightful feedback and discuss ideas.
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- Sarah Lyon-Hill sticks one of many filled-out input sheets on the wall. Lyon-Hill presented on the input received so far from airports, collected through surveys and interviews.
