PROCEEDINGS - Industries of the Future - West Virginia - West ...

Industries of the Future — West Virginia
trying to work with industry and business across the state to use the regulatory power of state
government to identify any problems they may have and help them to solve those problems.
We are also trying to simplify permitting through the use of technology. We just announced
yesterday the creation of a statewide e-mail facility to make it much simpler and easier to accomplish
the permitting process in the state.
We have the West Virginia Alliance for Civil Justice, which is working cooperatively with all
groups on the tort reform problems that face us in the state of West Virginia.
All of these things can be addressed, but if we don't have an adequate work force, we won't be
able to take advantage of the growth potential that economic development brings us. We have
combined the old JTPA program with the Vocational Council to form the Governor's Human Resource
Investment Council. Again, we are trying to bring together every degree of every source of strength
that is out there to train our people to work with all educational levels from kindergarten through the
colleges and universities. This will help ensure a well-trained work force that will be able to meet the
employment needs of the industries of the twenty-first century.
This is pretty much a shotgun approach of where I think we are today in West Virginia. I
appreciate very much your willingness to participate in this two-day conference and to share with us in
government ideas that you have from your perspective as to how we can advance our state into the
future, how we can grow, how we can expand, and how we can enjoy West Virginia even more than
we have at this time. Thank you.
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