WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA (May 30, 2003). Northern Shenandoah Valley Economic
Development Partners in
Clarke County, Shenandoah County, and Winchester-Frederick County plus Lord
Fairfax Community
College’s Workforce Development and Continuing Education, Shenandoah University’s
School of Continuing
Education, and the Winchester-Frederick County Chamber of Commerce are hoping
to gain a better
understanding of the area’s working population and commuting patterns
through a Northern Shenandoah
Valley Regional Workforce Study.
The Northern Shenandoah Valley is fortunate to have a diverse job market;
it is attractive to both businesses
and job seekers, and this study aims at providing detailed occupational, educational
level and work location
preference of our region’s labor force to support our competitive marketability
to other competing areas for
business retention and new business location needs.
The study will commence on Monday, June 2 with telephone survey interviews
of randomly selected
households within the study area (City of Winchester and Clarke, Shenandoah
and Frederick Counties and
the town’s with-in those counties). Special questions will focus on employment
patterns and, in particular,
the characteristics of commuters. The work will be performed under contract
by the Center for Survey
Research at the University of Virginia.
Survey interview questions will center on four key issues, they are: current
occupation, highest level of
education completed, patterns commuting to place of employment, and preferences
to continue or
discontinue commuting. This study defines a “commuter” as a person
who lives in the City of Winchester or
Clarke, Shenandoah or Frederick Counties, who works at a location outside the
study area, and whose
journey to work one-way takes at least 30 minutes. The survey results will be
divided into two parts. The
first part will be devoted to respondents who are commuters, and the second
part will show details for all
workers – both commuters and local workers.
Out-bound commuters are a group of great interest to economic developers because
many current
commuters are considered a potential labor supply for new and expanding businesses
in the area. For
example, according to 2000 US Census data, slightly more than 25% of our Winchester-Frederick
County’s
working population commutes, which are a promising workforce for businesses
interested in expansion or
location in the region especially considering our current low unemployment figures.
The US Census
provides outstanding essential demographic and economic information; however,
several critical data gaps
exist which economic development practitioners could utilize in their business
development efforts. Several
examples include, identifying an employee’s commuting preference and why
they commute. In addition, the
survey will allow cross-referencing of various demographic and economic information,
not currently feasible
with Census data.
UVA’s Center for Survey Research will be calling across
the region to conduct the 10-minute telephone
survey and expects to reach over 7,000 individuals within the study area. The
calls will be carried out over a
two week period, from June 2 to June 18, with calling times between: Sunday
- Thursday (6:00 pm - 9:00
pm) or Sunday afternoons (2:00 pm - 5:00 pm).
Economic development and education partners hope to garner a better understanding
of the local population,
especially perceptions about commuting and the possibility of current commuters
accepting suitable jobs
locally. The survey is sponsored in partnership by the Clarke County Economic
Development office,
Shenandoah County Economic Development and Tourism Department, Winchester-Frederick
County
Economic Development Commission, Lord Fairfax Community College’s Workforce
Development and
Continuing Education, Shenandoah University’s School of Continuing Education,
and the Winchester-
Frederick County Chamber of Commerce.
Press Release Contact: Karen Helm, 540-665-0973
Reference: Economic Development Organizations listed at end of Press Release
For more information about the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional
Workforce Study contact your
local economic development office, or Patrick Barker, executive director of
Winchester-Frederick County
Economic Development Commission at 540-665-0973.