A shortage of work in the Valley means the exact opposite for those at WorkForce West Virginia.

WorkForce's acting executive director from Charleston, Russell Fry stopped in Wheeling on Wednesday. He said with so many local steel workers still unemployed and others seeking work, WorkForce's plan of attack is directing some people into an entirely new career.

"We're also trying to make sure there's money available to upgrade skills for anybody that would be out of a job now and possibly there's not a chance of going back where they were. We want to make sure they have some job skills so we can help them go into a new field," Fry said.

Those new fields include some green -- green technology and certifications.

"…where you may be training to be a construction person, but a construction person with a green certification," Fry said.

He said people are more accepting now of the idea that they may have to change careers and they're lining up to learn new skills and job seeking basics.

"Now more than ever in my career, folks are ready to go to training. I think they understand they're going to have to have skills, more skills than they've ever had before," he said.

Fry added that WorkForce doesn't restrict what fields people can train in, however, part of their plan includes staying focused on industries and businesses where employees are in demand in each region.