Target Industries & Occupations

Virginia Blue Ridge is a diverse region with various industries represented in the regional economy. Over the next ten years, specific industries have been identified as target and emerging industries for the region:

Industry Cluster	Total Jobs (2016)	Projected Jobs Change (2016-2021)	Projected Job Growth (2016-2021)
Existing Target Industries
Healthcare	21,364	2,280	11%
Manufacturing	17,960	(720)	(4%)
Construction	11,933	343	3%
Transportation & Warehousing	7,261	296	4%
Financial Services	717	720	0%
Emerging Target Industries
Food & Beverage Manufacturing	1,214	37	3%
Life Sciences	17,968	1,875	10%
Information Technology	4,424	268	6%

Within those industries, there are occupations that are projected to be in higher demand over the course of the next decade. Learn more about these occupations below, including local businesses in need of qualified employees, click on any of the occupation names to access our local fact sheet. To learn more about the target industries and additional occupations that are predicted to grow in the next decade, click on any of the industry names.

Target Industries
Healthcare	Manufacturing	Construction	Transportation & Warehousing	Financial Services
Registered Nurses	Team Assemblers	Electricians	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	Financial Managers
Nursing Assistants	Food Batchmakers	Construction Managers	Bus Drivers, School or Special Client	Customer Service Representatives
Licensed Practical Nurses	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, & Brazers	Electrician Helpers	Dispatchers	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Workers
Mental Health Social Workers	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	Operating Engineers	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers	Tellers
Medical and Health Services Managers	Carpenters	Office Clerks	Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers	Financial Managers
Receptionists and Information Clerks	Machinists	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	First-Line Supervisors, Transportation Operators	Construction and Building Inspectors
Psychiatric Aides	Woodworking Machine Operators	Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers	Bus and Truck Mechanics, Diesel Engine Specialists	Loan Interviewers and Clerks
Medical Assistants	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	Reservation and Ticket Agents	Chief Executives
Medical Secretaries	Sales Representatives	Cost Estimators	Flight Attendants	Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Dental Assistants	First-Line Supervisors of Production Workers	General and Operations Managers	Office Clerks	Sales Representatives

Emerging Industries
Food & Beverage Manufacturing	Life Sciences	Information Technology
Food Batchmakers	Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks	Software Developers, Applications
Demonstrators and Product Promoters	Customer Service Representatives	Computer User Support Specialists
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators	Registered Nurses	Computer Systems Analysts
Sales Representatives	Claims Adjusters and Examiners	Software Developers, Systems Software
First-Line Supervisors of Production Workers	Team Assemblers	Network and Computer Systems Administrators
Manufacturing Managers	Management Analysts	Sales Representatives
Industrial Machinery Mechanics	Software Developers, Applications	Computer Information Systems Managers
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	Business Operations Specialists	Database Administrators
Driver/Sales Workers	Computer Systems Analysts	Market Research Analysts
Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	Customer Service Representatives

For more information, please contact us today!

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