W.I.S.H.
Workforce Innovation and Skills Hub
It began with a vision…
As an economic development professional working in Fairfax County for over 30 years, there are few members of our community more familiar with the challenges of attracting diverse and
high-paying employers to Southeast Fairfax County. The inequities created by those challenges are at the core of why Rodney ran for office, and is committed to establishing a Workforce Innovation and Skills Hub (W.I.S.H.) in one of the most economically challenged community in Fairfax County.
Breaking down barriers…
After being elected on a promise to deliver the center within his first term, Rodney made a further commitment to move a legislative item within his first 90 days in office to formally launch the project as a county initiative.
Forty-two days later, Rodney delivered on that promise.
Following adoption by the Board, Rodney moved with urgency to launch efforts to simultaneously identify funding to support operations, select a location, and award a contract for an operator to deliver on the center’s promise.
As these official efforts got off the ground, Rodney undertook the much more difficult task of building trust within the community that the center would serve. After spending countless hours at community events, sitting down with civic groups, hearing from residents about their most persistent challenges, and seeking feedback about the employment goals of local residents — Rodney mapped out the first steps on the journey to making the W.I.S.H. a reality.
Based on what he learned, Rodney identified the most immediate step that could be taken to empower and unite the desperate communities in the heart of Hybla Valley. For years, a steel fence divided the Creekside and Audubon communities, not only preventing residents from easily accessing amenities and pedestrian throughfares, but preventing distinct groups of neighbors from truly interacting and supporting each other simply because the 50 yard journey between their front doors required over a mile walk to traverse.
Rodney heard the community and acted. Standing shoulder to shoulder with community members they cut down the fence and united two neighborhoods that had been separated for far too long.
These first steps created the trust and partnership necessary to make the W.I.S.H. a reality.
Making it a reality…
Establishing trust and building a relationship with the community was only the start. With that critical foundation in place, Supervisor Lusk set to work on accomplishing three important goals:
Securing $2.4 million in county funding to support multi-year operations at the W.I.S.H., in addition to $900k in Federal and State funding to support buildout and equipment.
Partitioning approximately 8,000 square feet contained within the new Lee District Community Center, located in the heart of the Hybla Valley neighborhood to house the W.I.S.H.
Awarding a contract through the county procurement process to an operator—Melwood, supported by their sub-contractor, Building Momentum— to operate with W.I.S.H.
In addition to overseeing these critical benchmarks on the W.I.S.H.’s development timeline, Supervisor Lusk has personally engaged in the physical design of the space, the fabrication of critical infrastructure, and the recruitment or partners and employers who have committed to expanding the center’s training offerings and employment opportunities.
Delivering Results…
At the W.I.S.H., training is always part of the journey, its never a destination. Through established partnerships and commitments secured by Supervisor Lusk through the land use and development process, every training course that is offered at the center will be directly tied to an employment opportunity.
The other key element that makes the W.I.S.H. unique among workforce development programs is our commitment to human services. Our intake staff interview every client that the W.I.S.H. touches to not only better understand their career aspirations, but also the support they may need to realize their aspirations. From childcare, to transportation, to food security—the W.I.S.H. team assists clients in accessing the resources they need to fully commit to their upskilling.
Finally, the W.I.S.H. is not limited to only supporting adults and mid-career professionals in advancing their employability, but also is committed to expanding the horizons of young people and empowering them to consider careers in fields that they may never have been previously exposed to.