West Virginia Welcome

Hospitality Training Program

West Virginia Welcome, designed by the West Virginia Hospitality Education and Training Program, provides an introductory overview of the essentials of hospitality, such as how to put customers at ease, be personable and proactively solve problems.

The training program helps to ensure that the faces of the state’s tourism industry hospitality employees are able to provide the services essential to visitors.

The online course is available from West Virginia University Extension Service’s learning system. Classroom training is available from the West Virginia Department of Education.

Access the Online Course

The free, 45-minute course is available online at extcommunity.wvu.edu. Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate from WVU Extension Service and the West Virginia Department of Education's HEAT program.

New users will be prompted to create a free account. Returning users must login to access the course.

For questions and help with user accounts or the online learning system, email Ron Davis at Ron.Davis@mail.wvu.edu or call 304-293-8967.

Request a Classroom Training

On-site training is also available and is 2 hours long delivered in a classroom style by a HEAT certified trainer without cost. Participants who complete the training receive a certificate and a pin.

You can request a training by completing the WVHEAT Group Training Request Form.

For questions and information about classroom training, email Tami Maynard at tmmaynar@k12.wv.us or call 304-558-6321.

About the Training Course

West Virginia Welcome is a collaboration between WVU’s Hospitality and Tourism Program; West Virginia Department of Education’s HEAT program; the West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association; and the WVU Extension Service.