LOGAN, WV (LOOTPRESS) – “Southern WV Community & Technical College met with Logan County administrators and guidance counselors this week to discuss its partnership with the West Virginia Department of Education to offer a new degree program, E-Commerce.
The program will be offered to Career and Technical students in Logan County high schools to earn an Associate in Applied Science degree in Technical Studies with an E-Commerce concentration in tandem with a high school diploma.
‘We have all seen the impact COVID-19 had on the economy,’ said Dr. David Lemmon, Dean of Professional and Technical Studies at Southern. ‘The pandemic highlighted the need for businesses and organizations to have a robust and stable virtual presence, and that need is estimated to increase even after the pandemic ends.’
E-Commerce will allow students to gain training in marketing, graphic design, web development, cyber security, and other business and management-related concepts. E-Commerce will be offered in a virtual learning format to increase accessibility and technology usage.
Southern WV Community & Technical College’s Business Program, which is housed under Professional and Technical Studies, has partnered with the WV Department of Education, and the Logan County Board of Education to bring E-Commerce to fruition.
‘Nearly half of all US consumers shop online more often than in brick-and-mortar retail stores,’ said Stephanie Mounts, Assistant Professor of Business at Southern. ‘Employees have embraced the ability to work remotely. This abrupt culture change has shifted the focus on innovation and E-Commerce to the front of the line.’
E-Commerce is any commerce – the buying and selling of goods and services – that takes place on the internet. Even before the pandemic, job growth of E-Commerce workers increased by nearly 80% from 1997 to 2016, and the Bureau of Labor Services projects continued growth to around 450,000 by 202
Southern expects the program to come to life in the Fall 2023 semester.”