WVU Safety and Health Extension

What WVU Safety and Health Extension does

WVU Safety and Health Extension is an operational unit within West Virginia University's land-grant Cooperative Extension Service, providing safety, health, and occupational education to West Virginia residents. The broader WVU Extension Service operates through 55 county offices across the state, delivering programming in 4-H youth development, agriculture, nutrition, gardening, fire service training, and community development under the federally chartered Cooperative Extension System established in 1914.

The unit's core products are educational programs and curriculum delivered via in-person workshops, county office consultations, and online platforms. Underlying infrastructure includes the ZSuite online enrollment and member record system for 4-H programs, Zoom-based remote training delivery, and a network of partnerships with the USDA, National Cooperative Extension System, West Virginia Humanities Council, and broadcasting outlets for content distribution. Recent program launches include a new online diabetes education class and a rural tourism sustainability initiative in partnership with the USDA Forest Service.

The business model is government- and appropriation-funded rather than revenue-generating. Funding flows from federal sources (USDA, land-grant appropriations), state allocations through WVU, and county-level support, with programs offered free or at subsidized cost to residents, farmers, youth, and community organizations across West Virginia. The unit does not pursue commercial revenue, equity funding, or M&A activity, and operates under a public service mandate rather than a profit-driven model.

Name

WVU Safety and Health Extension

Legal name

West Virginia University Extension Service

Website

https://extension.wvu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WVU Safety and Health Extension is a public university extension unit within West Virginia University's land-grant Cooperative Extension Service, delivering safety, health, and occupational education programs to West Virginia residents through 55 county offices under USDA federal funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Occupational Safety and Health Training

NAICS

All Other Business Support Services (561499)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Business Services (7380)

akta.pro primary industry

General Occupational Safety & OSHA Compliance (EDABAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Occupational Safety, OSHA & Workplace Compliance Training (EDAOAMAK), Occupant Fire Safety Training, Drills & Warden Programs (BPABAHAM), Medical Emergency Response & On-site First Aid/Paramedics (BPABANAG)

Keywords

• Occupational safety training
• Workplace safety education
• Extension education services
• Community health training
• Rural community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Morgantown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (USDA): Primary funding from USDA through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) from USDA NIFA, supporting food and nutrition education programs.
2. Cooperative Extension Federal Support: Funding through Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as part of the land-grant university system.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WVU Safety and Health Extension delivers occupational safety and health training (including OSHA courses), fire service training, disaster preparedness education, labor relations programs, and home safety resources to West Virginia businesses, emergency responders, and residents through county extension offices, online platforms, and community workshops. It operates as part of the WVU Extension Service's Community, Business & Safety division within the land-grant Cooperative Extension System.

Product overview

WVU Extension is a land-grant university outreach service providing research-based educational programs to all West Virginia residents through a network of 55 county offices. The organization operates as a unified extension service rather than a modular software platform, offering programs across six major categories: Youth & Family (including 4-H and Energy Express), Lawn/Gardening & Pests, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Food & Health (including the Family Nutrition Program), Natural Resources, and Community/Business & Safety (including Occupational Safety & Health and Fire Service Extension). WVU Extension does not offer a commercial SaaS product but rather delivers in-person educational services, training programs, and resources to the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WVU Extension 4-H: Youth development program for children ages 5-21 involving leadership, citizenship, and life skills development
• Family Nutrition Program
• Master Gardener Program
• Energy Express

Products and services

• Occupational Safety and Health Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 63,000+ youth served through 4-H
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• West Virginia Humanities CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019State affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Provided financial support for the Eastern Woodland Indian traditions program teaching West Virginia youth about Native American history and culture.
• West Virginia University Native American Studies ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership to provide authentic Native American cultural education to 4-H campers on Eastern Woodland Indian traditions, addressing the limited access to Native American educators in WV.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary federal partner through the Cooperative Extension System. Extension work is conducted in cooperation with USDA pursuant to Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. USDA programs including SNAP and EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) from NIFA provide significant funding and programmatic direction.
• West Virginia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWVU Extension is part of West Virginia University's land-grant mission, with the WVU Board of Governors as the governing body. Extension extends university resources to solve public needs through local programs.
• National Cooperative Extension SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the national network of more than 3,000 county offices at land-grant universities across the USA. The local front door for citizens to their state land-grant institutions.
• County Boards of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal county Boards of Education partner with Extension offices to support community programs and provide facilities for 4-H activities and school enrichment programs.
• West Virginia 4-H All StarsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlumni organization that funds the My Hands to Larger Service mini-grants program, awarding $200-$500 grants to 4-H teen leaders for community service projects.
• USDA Forest ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Mon Forest Towns initiative, including gateway community assessments and economic studies for Monongahela National Forest communities. Collaborates on Monongahela National Forest stewardship programs.
• West Virginia State CapitolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWVU Extension hosts annual WVU Day at Legislature event at the State Capitol, engaging legislators and educating them about Extension programs and their impact.
• West Virginia Division of Natural ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on wildlife programs, including black bear project partnerships and natural resources education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech): Land-grant extension operated jointly by Virginia Tech and Virginia State, delivering parallel agricultural, family, 4-H, and community safety/emergency preparedness programs across Virginia counties.
• Ohio State University Extension: Big Ten land-grant extension providing nearly identical 4-H, agriculture, and Community Development programming including farm and workplace safety education across all 88 Ohio counties.
• Penn State Extension: Sister land-grant university extension serving Pennsylvania with comparable agricultural, youth (4-H), and community safety programming including OSHA-style occupational safety training through county offices.
• NC State Extension: Land-grant extension offering equivalent 4-H youth development, agricultural, food safety, and emergency preparedness programs across North Carolina counties with similar federal funding model.

Regional players

• University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension: Neighboring Appalachian land-grant extension delivering parallel 4-H, agriculture, and community safety programming; competes for similar rural-safety-training audiences and federal cooperative-extension dollars in the broader Appalachian region.

Emerging players

• 360training.com: Major online regulatory and safety training provider offering OSHA 10/30, food safety, and environmental compliance courses—competing with extension safety programs through scalable, on-demand digital delivery.

Broad incumbents

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): Sets the codes and certification standards (NFPA 1001, 1021) underpinning the Fire Service Extension training programs and provides direct parallel firefighter certification courses nationally.
• National Safety Council: Established national nonprofit offering OSHA-aligned workplace safety training, certifications, and resources as a paid commercial alternative to the free extension-delivered safety education model.
• OSHA Training Institute (US Department of Labor): Federal authority for OSHA Outreach Trainer and safety course certification; sets the curriculum standards that extension-based safety training programs must align with and is the upstream reference point for compliance training.

Others

• West Virginia Department of Homeland Security / Emergency Management: State agency that co-funds and co-delivers emergency preparedness and disaster response training programs alongside the WVU Extension in West Virginia, representing the primary public-sector counterpart rather than a true competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WVUExtension
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGJLAzupM-qpDbHcNEc3Zyw
• Facebookfacebook.com/WVUExtension
• Instagraminstagram.com/wvuextension
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-virginia-university-safety-and-health-extension

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WVU Safety and Health Extension