SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The need to fill thousands of software coding and cyber jobs will be the focus of a workplace summit scheduled for later this week in Kanawha County.

TechConnect West Virginia will host its Coding & Cyber Summit from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. this Thursday at the BridgeValley Advanced Technology Center in South Charleston.

“This is an opportunity for workforce development. If we can close the skills gap, we can get more West Virginians into these higher paying, good jobs,” said Anne Barth, executive director of TechConnect WV.

Barth said a college degree is not required to gain coding and cyber skills.

“All of these jobs do not require a 4 year, or even in some cases, a 2 year degree. You can acquire the skills in 8 or 14 week boot camps, get in the job market and start earning money right away,” she said.

U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) will headline the event. The senators will join tech industry leaders from around the state and nation to share their views on how West Virginia’s workforce can play a greater role in the high-tech economy.

The summit will focus on the following topics:

  • New steps that are being taken to train a new high-tech workforce.
  • Potential employment opportunities in the areas of computer coding and cyber-security.
  • Benefits of the new virtual tech economy and workplace.
  • Mobilizing communities to benefit from job and economic development opportunities.

Barth said she wants West Virginia to get on board with what other states are doing when it comes to filling tech jobs.

“Some countries and some states are beginning to teach coding as early as kindergarten. This is part of life today and we need to make sure tha our workforce and our young people are able to aquire these skills and be proficient in the workforce,” she said.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Event details can be found HERE.