Bay Consortium presenter outlines two‑year talent pipeline project for Region 6 manufacturing and aquaculture

Keenan Allen, talent development coordinator for the Bay Consortium Workforce Development Board, told the Northumberland County Economic Development Commission on June 17 that a two‑year grant will support a career advancement and resource education effort focused on manufacturing and aquaculture in Virginia’s Region 6.

Allen said the CARE project (Career Advancement and Resource Education) is funded through Gulf Virginia Region 6 and the Bay Consortium and uses the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Talent Pipeline Management model. He described the initiative as employer‑led: employers will convene to identify shared hiring pain points, agree on common job descriptions and credential requirements, and coordinate recruitment and upskilling.

The presentation framed several persistent workforce gaps in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula: a small and aging talent pool, underemployment, and the outflow of workers to higher‑paying jobs outside the region. Allen said the project will consider “nontraditional” sources of labor, including women in nontraditional roles, returning citizens, people with limited English proficiency and people with disabilities.

Allen outlined the program steps: convene employers to identify priority positions and common pain points; standardize job descriptions and credential requirements across employers; align education and training providers to deliver the credentials employers need; and use work‑based learning—internships, apprenticeships and school tours—to build candidate pipelines. He emphasized employer participation in recruitment and in defining which credentials are necessary for particular roles.

On barriers, Allen said employers and community stakeholders will need to address childcare, transportation and soft‑skills training as part of a coordinated plan. He also described outreach to schools—middle and elementary grades—to introduce career options earlier and to partnerships with community colleges and community‑based organizations for training and mentoring.

Allen asked the commission to help introduce him to local employers and said the first manufacturers’ convening for the project is scheduled for July 7 in Warsaw. He said some meetings may be virtual to accommodate seasonal industries such as aquaculture.

The commission’s members asked about the size of the local labor pool; Allen said a state study of Region 6 showed a small talent pool that can be expanded but will require employer and community effort to develop. He also noted the project intends to measure return on investment for participating employers and to hand off successful local collaboratives to regional partners after the two‑year period.

Allen closed by inviting commissioners and staff to refer employers and to participate in the convenings planned for the summer.