A well-educated, properly trained (and drug-free) workforce is among the most important factors an employer seeks when considering moving to a new location. West Virginia has a lot of work to do before it can make an assurance to new companies that such will be available should they make the move to the Mountain State.

But lawmakers are looking for ways to change that, and one might be the plan unanimously passed out of the state Senate Finance Committee earlier this week to make a community or technical college education free to in-state students willing to fulfill a few requirements.

Last-dollar-in money from the state would go to students who have already exhausted their options to receive Pell Grants and other financial aid. Students also must be applying for degree and certificate programs where there is a workforce need. (That means the state Department of Commerce gets to determine which students get those last dollars, and may be a part of the bill that requires a little tweaking.)

Drug testing would occur every semester, and students would be required to complete eight hours of community service.

Perhaps the most weighty obligation for potential students is the requirement that they work (and, we would hope, live) in the Mountain State for two years after receiving a degree. If they choose to move, they must pay back the money.

State Sen. Robert Plymale, D-Wayne, makes a good point that apprenticeship programs should be added to the bill.

Last year, similar legislation died in the House of Delegates. It should get better consideration this time around, provided lawmakers are confident it can be properly funded without creating an unnecessary burden for taxpayers. Certainly if there is wiggle room to consider sending to Washington, D.C., $10 million from Mountain State taxpayers who already also send federal tax money that would fund a border wall, there is room to look for funding for this plan.