HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Businessman and gubernatorial candidate Chris Miller lent his support to local education recently with a generous donation to Huntington’s Mountwest Community & Technical College.
Miller, who announced his candidacy in the upcoming gubernatorial 2024 race, has been adamant about the need for state leadership to take advantage of the resources offered within West Virginia. The businessman has cited the opportunity for a potential competitive advantage over the rest of the country in various trade industries.
As such, Miller hopes that this contribution to a local community & technical college can help in the spurring on of economic growth and development through the training and education of the next generation of workforce members.
“We’ve got a major shortage around the country – not only in West Virginia – when it comes to people trained with trades, and the next round of high paying jobs are going to be people that have a unique skill set,” said Miller, who took the time to chat with LOOTPRESS on Tuesday regarding the economic situation in the state.
“This is going to be so imperative to make sure that we’ve got a workforce moving forward. I strongly believe that this is going to be the future when it comes to job training,” he said, noting that the implications of these changes run deeper than economics.
“I also think there’s a direct correlation; if you think about rehabilitation and addiction, the number one reason for relapse is lack of economic opportunity, and there’s some sort of match up when it comes to pairing full term rehabilitation with training people for trades to allow them to start a second career and minimize their chance of relapse.
Touching upon how the contribution came to be, Miller spoke of his own positive history with the Mountwest organization and how this venture can potentially impact positive change.
“I’ve had a relationship with Mountwest for a while,” he said. The president, Doctor Baker, is a good friend of mine. He came to me with an idea, and I said ‘absolutely, that should be just what we need.’
Learn more about Chris Miller’s 2024 campaign and vision for West Virginia at millerforgov.com, and learn more about programs offered through Mountwest Community & Technical College at mctc.edu.