Pulaski County receives international award for workforce development
~ Pulaski County, Virginia Economic Development Authority Wins the Workforce Developer Award from the International Trade Council ~
October 26, 2022, the Pulaski County Economic Development Authority, in partnership with the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors, was awarded the Workforce Developer Award from the International Trade Council as part of the 2022 Go Global Awards. Pulaski County, serving as Southwestern Virginia’s Center of International Business, has focused on fostering a competitive world-class business environment to support existing international and domestic companies and be a strategic location for foreign direct investment and the reshoring of U.S. industries.
“A robust and talented workforce is the number one priority of today’s businesses and industries, and is why workforce development has and continues to be a major focus of the Board of Supervisors and the Economic Development Authority,” stated Jonathan D. Sweet, County Administrator. “Receiving such a prestigious international award is further confirmation that Pulaski County is hitting its mark of collaborating and innovating with our public, private and non-profit partners to solve the nuanced workforce challenges that exist in today’s competitive environment.”
The 2022 Go Global awards hosted more than 6,000 applicants from all around the world, representing 83 different countries. Of the 6,000 applicants, only 95 awards were bestowed and only 50 awards were given to public sector organizations. Pulaski County was highlighted for having the Best Workforce Development Program and was the only county in the United States to receive an award, as well as the only organization in the state of Virginia to receive an honor.
“It is such a testament to all of our workforce development partners in Pulaski County who work with us to cultivate our local talent and support the current and future workforce needs of our diverse businesses and industries”, stated Michael Solomon, Director of Economic Development. “Our work with NRCC, our own CTE, the WIB and all their affiliates, and our local business efforts is what helped make this international recognition possible.”
The Go Global Awards brings together hundreds of senior executives from some of the world’s most innovative manufacturers, re-manufacturers and exporter of product and services; along with government trade and investment agencies, trade associations, chambers of commerce, venture capital firms and financial institutions. The 2022 Go Global award was bestowed by the International Trade Council on October 21, 2022, in Tallinn, Estonia, and was hosted by the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency.