Yesterday, Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner announced that Pearson Government Solutions will invest $5.6 million to open a government services call center in Chesterfield County, creating up to 800 new jobs by the end of the year. The facility will provide support for the 1-800 Medicare Helpline. Virginia successfully competed against Maryland and Pennsylvania for the project.

"The addition of this major employer is exciting news for Chesterfield County," said Governor Warner. "Pearson Government Solutions was sold on our quality workforce, access to an existing high-tech facility, and the strong cooperative relationship between state and local governments."

Pearson will hire between 220 and 250 people in the short-term, adding others during the course of the year during peak times. The company anticipates at its busiest time it will employ 800 people at its facility.

Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Pearson Government Solutions serves the federal government market, delivering solutions that support public sector entities in their delivery of information, benefits, and services to their constituents. The company provides fully integrated, end-to-end service solutions in the areas of benefits processing, customer interaction management, document and content management, e-learning and training, grant management, and human capital management. Pearson Government Solutions is a business of Pearson, a $7 billion international media company. Pearson Government Solutions has more than 5,500 employees worldwide.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with officials from Chesterfield County to secure the project for Virginia. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through its Workforce Services Program.

NM