Posted: March 5, 2010

Judy Begland
President and CEO
Opportunity Inc.

Judy Begland joined Opportunity Inc. in September 2003 as president and chief executive officer. Opportunity Inc. is the staff organization to the Hampton Roads Workforce Development Board. Its initiatives are intended to respond to the needs of the business community for trained and qualified workers and help guarantee that Hampton Roads has a workforce that is second to none.

Prior to joining Opportunity Inc., Begland provided consulting services to municipalities, nonprofits, public institutions and private sector organizations in the areas of community, business, workforce and economic development as a principal and partner of Begland and Associates. Clients included the Hampton Roads Partnership, the cities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Isle of Wight County, regional housing authorities, and community colleges. Additionally, she has worked in the field of economic development for many years, serving as the assistant director of the city of Norfolk's development department, the development director of Isle of Wight County and the development director for the Peninsula Alliance for Economic Development.

Begland holds a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies, summa cum laude, as well as a master's degree in economics, both from Old Dominion University. She resides in Isle of Wight County with her husband. They have three grown children.

Which industries are the best to generate jobs in Hampton Roads?

There are the industries that we expect to generate the most jobs coming out of the recession and the ones that are the BEST to generate jobs. Restaurants, retail and health care show the largest potential gaps (more workers demanded than are available) but many of the jobs pay below the region's average wage of approximately $39,000. Health care provides job opportunities across a broad spectrum of wages from home health care aides, technicians in specialized fields as well as a significant demand for nurses. And, while food service and retail (customer service) may not provide a higher wage, these sectors do provide an entry into the workforce for many individuals who have been unable to find work during the recession because workers with additional skills have taken jobs that less-skilled workers may have been able to access in the past.

Manufacturing jobs, particularly in shipbuilding and repair, will continue to provide opportunities due more to an aging/retiring workforce than to industry expansion. These jobs can pay quite well but require technical skills that most young people do not possess. Additionally, jobs that support the ports - transportation, warehousing and distribution - will also see an increase in demand as consumer confidence translates into economic recovery.

Self-employment - outsourcing of business services, temporary assignments, consulting, tradesmen and a whole host of opportunities for individuals who are independent, resourceful and possess specific skills in demand by others - will continue to grow and provide for increased opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Hampton Roads has seen growth in knowledge-intensive industries and those jobs will continue to grow as jobs requiring lower skills are moved offshore where wages are less. Some of these industries - modeling and simulation, sensors, robotics, renewable energy - provide higher wages because they require higher skills. Other opportunities such as advanced manufacturing, innovation in health sciences, and technology-related occupations also can, and do, provide for higher wages.

How do we get those jobs here?

The economic recovery and increased consumer confidence will provide for an increase in the demand for entry-level workers while talent development will translate into the growth of high-skilled, high-wage opportunities. Hampton Roads must continue to develop skilled workers - individuals who possess the ability to think critically, are innovative in their approach to problem-solving as well as product/process development, and are entrepreneurial in attitude and approach. A quality workforce can drive job growth, higher wages and ultimately regional economic expansion.

In addition to growing and developing our talent, we must seek to retain the talent coming out of our colleges and universities, the military, and recruit talent to Hampton Roads in those occupations that are in high-demand/high-growth industries.

Today, conventional economic development wisdom is that business owners, first and foremost, are looking for the talent necessary to make their companies competitive. A well-educated, highly skilled workforce is the driver in an economy defined by knowledge and ideas.