K-12 Opportunities

With a variety of programs to meet every student’s needs, our public and private schools have a vision to work as a community to inspire a passion for learning and empower students to reach their potential. Learning comes first in Wood County as evidenced by above average scores on ACT, SAT, state testing and more. Wood County also offers vocational school options through the Wood County Technical and Caperton Center for Applied Technology. In addition to Wood County Public Schools Wood County also offers several private school options including Wood County Christian, Parkersburg Catholic and North Christian. Learn more about K-12 options in Wood County check out our Wood County Welcome Packet or follow the links below.

Wood County Public Schools | Wood County Christian | Parkersburg Catholic | North Christian | Wood County Technical and Caperton Center for Applied Technology

Access to Education

Our workforce and residents have access to highly-ranked universities, community colleges, training programs and more helping to contribute to a higher quality of life in Wood County, WV. To help ensure that each individual has an equal opportunity to take advantage of these programs West Virginia offers its residents a variety of grants and scholarships. Including a merit-based financial aid program called the Promise Scholarship. Individuals who receive this scholarship can receive annual awards up to $4,750 to cover in-state tuition costs. Additionally, the West Virginia Legislature recently passed West Virginia Invests, which offers free community and technical college for all residents. This new initiative is a last-dollar-in financial aid program designed to cover the cost of basic tuition and fees for certificate or associate degree programs in specific high-demand fields, as determined by the West Virginia Department of Commerce, at a participating West Virginia public two- or four-year institution. The program is managed by the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education. Learn more at wvinvests.org.

Highly Ranked Universities

Wood County residents have access to a variety of highly ranked universities with a wide range of specialties including biology, education, law, health related fields, accounting and more. Universities in the Mid-Ohio Valley place huge emphasis one-on-one instruction with low student-faculty ratios such as 11:1 at Ohio Valley University and 10:1 at Marietta College. When it comes to prestige Marietta College is consistently named one of the top private colleges in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report’s annual index of America’s Best Colleges (most recently as a Top-10 school in the Midwest). Learn more about Universities in Wood County and the surrounding area by checking out the links below.

Marietta College | American National University | Ohio Valley University

The number of Higher Education degrees received in West Virginia is growing at an average of 1% per year.

Whether you’re looking for an affordable college education close to home, hands-on training to jump-start your career, or something in between – you’ll find it at West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

Founded in 1961, WVU Parkersburg is one of the most affordable, fully-accredited colleges in the nation, and the only community and technical college in West Virginia to offer four-year bachelor’s degree programs. The college’s primary service area is Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt and Wood counties in West Virginia.

WVU Parkersburg offers more than 50 degree programs that can be completed in one, two or four years. Each program delivers the highest-quality instruction with state-of-the-art technology, cutting-edge simulation labs, hands-on professional experiences and flexible schedules to give you the opportunity to be successful.

Students also have the opportunity to gain work experience while completing their degree program through a state-funded Learn and Earn program. The program creates partnerships between industry and community and technical colleges by allowing students to receive hands-on learning experience, and employers to train potential future employees. Computer Information Technology, Computer Science and Chemical & Polymer Operator Technology are just a few of the Learn and Earn programs offered to students at WVU Parkersburg.

In Addition to WVU Parkersburg, the Mid-Ohio Valley is also home to several additional community colleges, check out the links below to learn more.

WVU Parkersburg | Mountain State College | Washington State Community College

$54 Million awarded to employers, over 200,000 employees trained (Governor's Guaranteed Workforce)

WVUP Training Programs

Businesses across the region rely on WVU Parkersburg’s Workforce and Economic Development Division to provide custom, industry-specific training programs to meet workforce demands. Providing leadership development training to WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center’s workforce and bringing on-site training and testing through a mobile welding lab to Hino Motors employees are a few of the ways WVU Parkersburg is meeting the workforce development needs of area employers.

Learn More

WorkForce WV

WorkForce West Virginia is comprised of a network of workforce development services for employers, including pre-screened pools of candidates, assistance throughout the hiring process, and support for employee training and education. The team at WorkForce West Virginia stands ready to help your company with the unemployment process and offers detailed information on tax incentives and labor market data.

Learn More

Governor’s Guaranteed Work Force Program

The Governor’s Guaranteed Work Force Program (GGWFP) provides new and expanding businesses with technical and financial assistance to train, retrain and enhance the skills of their employees. Overall funding levels are based on wages and benefits, location of facilities, number of employees and number of individuals needing training. Since the program’s launch, more than $54 million has been awarded to employers and nearly 200,000 employees have received training.

Learn More