Preliminary results from a first-of-its-kind research project to identify opportunities and obstacles to building a world-class, diverse professional workforce in the Kanawha Valley will be released by the Charleston Area Alliance at 1:30 p.m. on Friday during the state-wide Create West Virginia conference at the Charleston House Hotel.
The project, called MAGNET: Managing, Attracting and Growing New and Existing Talent, is part of the Alliance’s “inclusion=innovation” initiative, which helps area businesses and our region benefit from and maximize the diverse professional talents of all segments of our community.
The inclusion initiative is presented by title sponsor Ernst & Young, a global leader in leveraging diversity and inclusive ways of thinking to deliver bottom line benefits for clients around the world. Spilman, Thomas & Battle, long committed to diversity, provided lead sponsorship support for the MAGNET project.
The press briefing is open to Alliance members. There is no fee to attend, but an RSVP is required.
To make a reservation, please click HERE.
Separate registration is required to attend other Create WV sessions.
The project, which included qualitative and quantitative research, was conducted earlier this month by Mythology Marketing. It measured perceptions of business leaders and young professionals in the Kanawha Valley on issues relating to diversity and how those relate to attracting and retaining top talent.
Professionals in cities in surrounding states that “compete” with West Virginia for young professional talent were also surveyed to assess their perceptions of the Mountain State. Minority professionals who have left the region were also interviewed.
“The MAGNET project will take the Alliance’s ‘inclusion=innovation’ initiative to the next level by providing solid data upon which we can direct future efforts to attract and retain young professionals, particularly those from minority backgrounds, in the Kanawha Valley,” said Alliance Senior Vice President JoEllen Zacks.
For more information, contact: jzacks@charlestonarealliance.org.
