Annual Report — New Economy Workforce Credential Grant, FY 2020 (June 2021)
Summary
This June 2021 annual report from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia reviews FY 2020 activities of the New Economy Workforce Credential Grant, a pay-for-performance model for funding noncredit workforce training that leads to a credential in a high-demand field. It reports 7,484 enrollments, of which 6,879 (92%) completed training and 4,906 (71%) went on to earn the credential. The average student cost of the program was $677, and the average state cost per credential attained was $1,627. It also says median annual wages increased approximately $7,000 or 31% for most students who earned their credential.
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State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
New Economy Workforce
Credential Grant
Annual Report 2020
June 2021
New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
Table of Contents
Purpose of This Report ................................................................................................................. 1
Summary of Findings for FY 2020 ......................................................................................... 1
Program Purpose ...................................................................................................................... 2
Program Requirements and Pay-for-Performance Model ................................................. 2
High-demand Field and Training Alignment Process ............................................................... 5
Identification of High-Demand Fields .................................................................................. 5
Training Programs Offered by Eligible Institutions ............................................................ 5
Enrollment, Training and Credential Completions and Costs ................................................. 7
Training Offered in Nine High-Demand Occupational Fields .......................................... 7
The Average Student Cost of the Program was $677. The Average State Cost per
Credential Attained was $1,627.............................................................................................. 8
Top Training Programs and Alignment to Annual Job Openings .................................... 8
Training Completion Rates Averaged 92% and Credential Completion Rates
Averaged 71% ........................................................................................................................... 9
Participation and Completion Rates by Institution ........................................................... 10
Student Demographics .............................................................................................................. 12
Enrollment ............................................................................................................................... 12
Success ..................................................................................................................................... 12
Earnings Outcomes .................................................................................................................... 14
Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 14
Earnings Analysis ................................................................................................................... 14
Median Wages Increased in all Occupational Fields ........................................................ 15
Wages by Race & Ethnicity ................................................................................................... 17
Wage Increase by Income Range.......................................................................................... 17
Additional Observations and Next Steps ................................................................................. 19
Appendix: FY 2020 Training Credential Enrollment, Completions and Costs..................... 20
New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT
During the 2016 session, the General Assembly passed HB 66 and SB 576, which established
the New Economy Workforce Grant Program. This grant program, the first of its kind in the
nation, provides a pay-for-performance model for funding noncredit workforce training that
leads to a credential in a high-demand field. The program also includes requirements for
students to complete the program in order to avoid paying additional costs. A summary of
the major components of the program is included below. Additional information is available
through the Code of Virginia.
The purpose of this report is to provide an annual review of FY 2020 activities of the New
Economy Workforce Credential Grant to the General Assembly and the Virginia Board for
Workforce Development as outlined in § 23.1-627.7 of the Code of Virginia. This year’s report
was delayed due to data reporting issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Summary of Findings for FY 2020
In FY 2020, the Virginia Community College System and the Southern Virginia Higher
Education Center offered training aligned to high-demand occupations and fields as
identified by the Virginia Board for Workforce Development. Observations from FY 2020
show that:
Institutions offered training in nine high-demand occupational fields.
Collectively, these institutions reported 7,484 enrollments, the most since the inception of
the program and an 8% increase from 2019. Some students enrolled in multiple
programs.
o An additional 1,903 students started their program but were unable to complete
their training or credential due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These students
were removed from the analysis.
Of the 7,484 enrollments included in this report, 6,879 (92%) completed training. Among
program completers, 4,906 (71%) went on to earn the credential. Some students will go
on to earn a credential beyond the FY 2020 period and thus result in a higher credential
rate.
o Black or African American students are eight points less likely to earn their
program’s credential compared to white students. Hispanic students are seven
points less likely.
The average student cost of the program was $677. The average state cost per credential
attained was $1,627.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
More than one-in-five enrollments were in Highway Construction Programs.
Commercial Drivers’ license had the second highest enrollments accounting for nearly
16% of the program.
Most students who earned their credential saw an increase in earnings. Median annual
wages increased approximately $7,000 or 31%.
o Students in the bottom quartile (with wages less than $8,200 before completing
their credential) saw the highest median wage increase.
Program Purpose
The Governor and the General Assembly outlined three primary purposes of the program
based on the requirements outlined in § 23.1-627.2. of the Code of Virginia:
The New Economy Workforce Credential Grant is established for the purpose of (i) creating
and sustaining a demand-driven supply of credentialed workers for high-demand occupations
in the Commonwealth by addressing and closing the gap between the skills needed by workers
in the Commonwealth and the skills of the available workforce in the Commonwealth; (ii)
expanding the affordability of workforce training and credentialing; and (iii) increasing the
interest of current and future Virginia workers in technician, technologist, and trade-level
positions to fill the available and emerging jobs in the Commonwealth that require less than a
bachelor's degree but more than a high school diploma.
The program also defines two key elements:
High-demand field: a “discipline or field in which there is a shortage of skilled workers
to fill current job vacancies or anticipated additional job openings.”
Noncredit workforce credential: a “competency-based, industry-recognized,
portable, and third-party-validated certification or occupational license in a
high-demand field.”
Program Requirements and Pay-for-Performance Model
The program focuses on a pay-for-performance model that provides payments for costs to
institutions only when an individual completes training and when an individual attains
a credential.
The following is a brief overview of the program requirements.
Eligible institutions and type of training: Eligible institutions are community colleges,
higher education centers and Richard Bland College. The type of training these
institutions are required to offer is noncredit training.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
State Funding:
Fiscal Year Amount
2017 $5 million
2018 $7.5 million
2019 $9.5 million
2020 $13.5 million
2021 $13.5 million
Alignment to high-demand fields: Training programs should align with the high-
demand fields set by the Virginia Board for Workforce Development. Boards of eligible
institutions are required to approve the aligned training programs.
Payments and cost of the program: The student, the institution and the state, as described
below, share the program’s cost. In addition, the table below illustrates the pay-for-
performance model.
o Student responsibility: Students are required to pay one-third of the total cost
of the program upon enrollment. Students may use third-party funds, such as
noncredit financial aid, training vouchers or employer payment to cover this
cost. If the student does not complete the program, then the student is required
to pay an additional one-third of the cost of the program.
o State: If the student completes the training, then the state provides one-third of
the cost of the program, up to $1,500, to the institution. If the student earns and
reports a credential, then the state pays an additional one-third of the cost of
the program, up to an additional $1,500.
o Institution: If a student does not report a credential earned, then the institution
does not receive state funding for one-third of the cost of the program.
Reporting and payments: Eligible institutions must provide student-level data to SCHEV
to receive funding.
Administration: SCHEV is responsible for administering the program, conducting
periodic assessments of the program, collecting student data and making final decisions
on disputes between eligible institutions and grant recipients.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
Figure 1: Program Pay-for-Performance Model
*Maximum contribution is $3,000 from the state.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
HIGH-DEMAND FIELD AND TRAINING ALIGNMENT PROCESS
Identification of High-Demand Fields
The Code requires that the Virginia Board for Workforce Development identify high-demand
occupational fields. In 2017, the Virginia Board for Workforce Development developed a
methodology to identify high-demand programs, using the following criteria:
The relevance of the occupational group to the state’s economic development strategy as
outlined in Governor McAuliffe’s New Virginia Economy strategy document.
Annual statewide job openings based on Virginia Employment Commission/Bureau of
Labor Statistics’ 10-year employment projections. Jobs were considered if they had more
than 50 annual openings.
The degree to which the occupations require advanced skills as measured by entry-level
education.
The board also allows a petition process for regions to request adding an occupational field to
the list if the region can demonstrate sufficient demand. A complete list of training programs
offered is available on the Virginia Career Works website.
Based on a review of the occupations meeting the criteria above, the Virginia Board for
Workforce Development identified high-demand occupations in 11 fields.
Training Programs Offered by Eligible Institutions
Once the Virginia Board for Workforce Development identifies the high-demand fields, the
eligible institutions develop or align existing noncredit training programs to meet the new
credential criteria, and their boards approve the programs. To date, the Virginia Community
College System and the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center are the only eligible
training institutions offering programs in the high-demand fields.
The boards of the institutions submit their approved lists to the Virginia Board for Workforce
Development. A full list of high-demand occupations and aligned training programs offered
by eligible training institutions is maintained and updated on the Career Works website.
The following table is a sample list by occupational field of the types of training and
credentials students could attain upon completion. A full list of credentials by type is in the
Appendix.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
Table 1: Sample Workforce Training and Certifications Offered by Occupational Field
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
ENROLLMENT, TRAINING AND CREDENTIAL COMPLETIONS AND COSTS
The following section provides data for FY 2020 by occupational field, credential type and
institution. FY 2020 data are based on all students completing a training course between July
1, 2019, and June 30, 2020. Eligible institutions are allowed up to 180 days after the
completion of training to obtain verification that a student earned a credential. Training
institutions may verify this information either through receiving information from a student
or through a record match with the entity issuing the credential.
Training Offered in Nine High-Demand Occupational Fields
Construction, production, healthcare support and transportation had the highest number of
enrollments, accounting for three-quarters of the program enrollments. In FY 2020, 7,484
individuals were enrolled in training and 4,906 attained a credential. The following table
summarizes enrollments, completions, reported credentials, average costs to students, total
payments by the state and average costs to the state per credential attained, by occupational
field.
Table 2: FY 2020 Data on Enrollment, Training Completion and Reported Credentials by Occupational
Field
Reported a Total State Payments for Average State
Completed Average Cost to
Occupational Field Enrolled Credential Training and Credential Payments per
Training Student*
Attained Completion* Credential Attained
Computer and 542 498 243 $723 $564,940 $2,325
Mathematical
Construction and Extraction 2,206 2,101 1,582 $211 $813,851 $514
Education, Training and 30 21 23 $1,330 $58,520 $2,544
Library
Healthcare Practitioners 256 216 85 $467 $132,416 $1,558
and Technical
Healthcare Support 1,061 947 701 $830 $1,403,863 $2,003
Installation, Maintenance and 714 666 556 $825 $1,037,644 $1,866
Repair
Office and Administrative 261 217 102 $784 $256,986 $2,519
Support
Production 973 913 656 $583 $907,078 $1,383
Transportation and Material 1,441 1,300 958 $1,256 $2,804,980 $2,928
Moving
All 7,484 6,879 4,906 $677 $7,980,278 $1,627
*Average costs per student are based on the charges of 1/3 of the cost of the program if the student completes training.
Total state payments do not equal the allocation for FY 2020 of $13.5 million due to how funds are obligated when a student enrolls.
Payments are made at the time the training or credential completion and submitted to SCHEV.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
The Average Student Cost of the Program was $677. The Average State Cost
per Credential Attained was $1,627.
As shown in the table above, the average cost of the program to a student (reflecting 1/3 of
the cost) was $677. SCHEV provided reimbursements to institutions through state general
fund in the amount of $7.98 million for training completions and credentials. This figure is
lower than the general fund appropriation for FY 2020 due to the pay-for-performance model
where funds are obligated when a student enrolls, but are paid when an institution submits
reimbursement upon completion of training and earning of a credential.
Based on the attainment data and the total payments through state general fund, the average
state payment per credential attained in FY 2020 was $1,627 (total payments/credentials
attained).
Top Training Programs and Alignment to Annual Job Openings
While many certifications are offered, nearly three-quarters of students enrolled in the top 10
programs. Of the more than 50 programs offered, four programs accounted for nearly half of
enrollments: Highway Construction, Commercial Drivers’ License, Medical Assistant and
Certified Nurse Aid.
In comparing enrollments in these programs to the annual job openings provided by the
Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), the certifications appear to address but not exceed
an annual need. For example, VEC projects annual openings for truck drivers to be about
5,819. In FY 2020, about 1,051 individuals enrolled in the credential program to attain a
commercial driver’s license. The difference between the annual openings and enrollments
does not necessarily indicate a shortage, as training programs offered by private providers
are not included in this analysis. At the same time, not all students go on to earn their
credential and may not pursue the exact occupation aligned with their program.
This analysis also de-duplicates individual records, so that one student pursuing multiple
road construction certifications, for example, is not counted twice, as that individual would
theoretically take up a single job opening.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
Table 3: Top 10 Credentials and Annual Openings by Related Occupational Field FY 2020
Individuals**
Annual Job Enrolled
Occupation Openings by Field* Program FY 2020
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 5,819 Commercial Driver's License A 1,051
Highway Maintenance Workers + Paving,
Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment 751 Highway Construction 621
Operators
Medical Assistants 2,122 Medical Assistant 431
Nursing Assistants 5,484 Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) 307
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers 1,080 Welding 306
Carpenters 2,941 Core - Introductory Craft Skills 250
Phlebotomists 566 Phlebotomy Technician 193
Pharmacy Technicians 907 Pharmacy Technician 159
Information Security Analysts 1,931 CompTIA A+ 141
Logisticians 871 Logistics Associate 113
*Review based on Virginia Employment Commission’s long-term 2018-2028 projections.
https://virginiaworks.com/occupational-projections?page80257=1&size80257=12&page79862=1&size79862=
12&page81630=1&size81630=12
Differences may not represent a shortage as other individuals may complete certification through non-WCG programs.
Training Completion Rates Averaged 92% and Credential Completion Rates
Averaged 71%
While completion rates for training vary by field and credential type, the average completion
rate for the last four years remains relatively stable. About 92% of enrolled individuals complete
their training. Of those who complete their training, about 71% earn a credential. Some credential
rates, such as IT certification, are much lower. A full list of completion rates by credential type is
in the Appendix.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
Figure 2
*30 students have enrolled in the teaching license programs. 21 completed the coursework, but 23 successfully earned a teaching license,
thus producing a credential completion rate over 100%.
Participation and Completion Rates by Institution
The number of students enrolling across training institutions varies. The table below
provides enrollments and completions by institution. More than half (53%) of enrollments in
FY 2020 were at institutions in rural areas of the state. The remaining enrollments occurred at
urban institutions, including Germanna, Northern Virginia, Tidewater and Reynolds/Tyler
community colleges.
Table 4: FY 2020 Enrollment, Training Completion and Reported Credentials by Eligible Training
Institution
Reported a
Training Institution Enrolled Completed Training Credential Attained
Blue Ridge 339 310 236
Central Virginia CC 156 131 90
Dabney Lancaster CC 113 91 72
Danville CC 49 46 30
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
Eastern Shore CC 71 60 26
Germanna CC 1,739 1,641 1,133
John Tyler/Reynolds CC (CCWA) 987 888 602
Lord Fairfax CC 599 546 474
Mountain Empire CC 121 111 98
New River CC 91 87 68
Northern Virginia CC 461 442 329
Patrick Henry CC 79 71 56
Paul D. Camp CC 206 174 132
Piedmont CC 339 308 174
Rappahannock CC 203 198 102
Southern Virginia Higher Ed Center 92 75 54
Southside Virginia CC 336 321 236
Southwest Virginia CC 133 125 96
Thomas Nelson CC 450 411 229
Tidewater CC 326 304 262
Virginia Highlands CC 151 123 80
Virginia Western CC 221 200 166
Wytheville CC 222 216 161
Total 7,484 6,879 4,906
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
Enrollment
The Workforce Credential Grant program tends to serve a nontraditional, older adult student
whose average age is 35. Only 25% of students are 24 years old or younger. Roughly two-
thirds of students are male, most likely because some of the largest enrollments occur in
fields that are frequently majority male. For example, some of the largest enrollments are in
commercial truck driving, welding, highway construction and machining.
Figure 3: Student Demographics by Sex and Race/Ethnicity, FY 2020
Success
More than 1,000 enrollments, or 15% of enrollments overall, were designated as either race
unknown or unreported. Other groups, such as American Indian or Alaska Native and
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander have relatively small cell sizes. This complicates
efforts to effectively compare success rates by race and ethnicity. But using the data as
reported, credential completion varies by race and ethnicity. (Training completion rates do
not vary significantly.) Black or African American students are eight points less likely to earn
their program’s credential compared to white students. Hispanic students are seven points
less likely.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
Figure 4
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
EARNINGS OUTCOMES
Methodology
When the General Assembly established the program in 2016, an important component was
to align training to high-demand fields where there was an unmet need for workers. Code
also requires SCHEV to report “information on the wages, including average wage and other
relevant information, of students who have completed noncredit workforce training
programs by credential name and relevant industry sectors.” To better evaluate the impact of
the program on an individual’s job prospects, it is also important to measure wages before
completing the program, as well as after.
Wages were matched through the Virginia Longitudinal Data System with Virginia
Employment Commission (VEC) wage records. While a valuable and unique source of post-
program wages, these records still suffer from a few flaws. Some people are exempt from
reporting, such as individuals who are self-employed, work for the federal government or
those who meet other exemption qualifications. Wages also are collected at a quarterly basis,
without any indication of the hours worked. This makes it difficult to know whether an
individuals’ quarterly wage was based on full-time or part-time work. VEC data also does
not collect information on a worker’s specific occupation, so we do not know if these
individuals are working in the jobs for which they are trained. Matching individual records
from their training to their incomes also takes time, resulting in wage outcomes that are not
as up to date as information about the program itself.
To accurately assess programs’ impact on wages, SCHEV staff only compared students who
had at least four quarters of wages before and four quarters of wage records after completing
the program. SCHEV staff summed those four quarters to serve as a proxy for annual
income, despite the fact that those individuals might be earning additional income not
counted in that quarterly wage, or that they could be choosing to work part-time.
To expand the number of students in the analysis, SCHEV staff included students who
completed their programs in 2017 and 2018. The most recent wage data currently available is
FY 2019. SCHEV staff then analyzed earnings of the remaining 7,273 students with wage
records before and after enrolling in the program.
Earnings Analysis
Students who completed a WCG program experienced a median wage increase of $6,000.
This represents a 31% increase compared to the median pre-wage. However, just over half of
these students, 55% had their individual wages increase. Of the 7,273 students successfully
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
matched to a year of pre- and post-program wages, 4,981 earned a credential. These students
saw a greater increase to their wages, over $7,000, with 57% earning higher wages after
earning their credential. Notably, students who would go on to earn their credential started
at similar starting wages as students who did not go on to earn a credential, suggesting that
post-wages have more to do with credential attainment than the students’ socio-economic
background.
Credential earners earned a median wage of $31,607. Using the federal poverty level for a
household of one, that wage represents just slightly above the 250% of the poverty line, but
barely over 100% for a family of four. Wage data does not measure the size of a household.
For reporting purposes, SCHEV designates families falling between 0% and 200% of the
federal poverty level as low-income and 200% and 400% as middle-income. Therefore, on the
median, single-household Virginians with a credential earn middle-income wages.
Furthermore, the median wage of Virginians who earned a for-credit certificate of less than
one year in 2017 earned $27,190, suggesting a slight edge in the immediate value of WCG
programs over for-credit certificates.1
Table 5: Wages Pre- and Post-Program by Credential Status FY 2017-18
# of Students w/
Students receiving
pre- and post- Median Pre- Median Post- Median Wage
positive wage
wages successfully wage wage Change
premium
matched
Did Not Earn
2,292 $19,767 $24,183 $3,870 52%
Credential
Earned
4,981 $22,895 $31,607 $7,050 57%
Credential
Total 7,273 $21,832 $29,341 $6,001 55%
Median Wages Increased in all Occupational Fields
To more effectively measure specific credentials’ impact on wages, the chart below only
examines the 4,981 students who earned their credential and successfully had their pre- and
post-program wages matched. In all occupational fields, median wages increased after
attaining the credential. However, despite earning the highest post-median wages of any
1SCHEV Research EOM18: Exploration of Wages over time by Degree.
https://research.schev.edu//EOM/EOM18_Report.asp
15
New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
other industry, a minority of Computer & Mathematical students, 45%, earned a higher wage
then before entering the program.
Chart 1
Measures wages for credential earners who completed their programs in FY 2017-18.
Construction and Extraction programs produced the most credentialed individuals that saw
a wage increase (70%). Students who earned credentials in Installation, Maintenance saw the
highest dollar increase in median wages ($11,601). Students with Healthcare Practitioner and
technical credentials saw the highest percentage increase in wages (57%). Notably these
students started with the lowest median wage of just over $14,000.
Table 6: Wages Pre- and Post-Program for Credentialed Students by Industry FY 2017-18
# of Students w/
Students
pre- and post- Median Pre- Median Post- Median Wage
receiving positive
wages successfully wage wage Change
wage premium
matched
Computer and Mathematical (15) 185 $46,564 $51,201 $7,313 45%
Construction and Extraction (47) 475 $33,261 $43,725 $9,101 70%
Education, Training, and Library
156 $25,306 $42,124 $8,692 52%
(25)
Healthcare Practitioners and
103 $14,294 $22,627 $8,148 61%
Technical (29)
Healthcare Support (31) 850 $14,136 $20,824 $4,664 57%
Installation, Maintenance, and
187 $22,737 $33,372 $11,601 61%
Repair (49)
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
Office and Administrative Support
282 $25,205 $26,886 $3,508 54%
(43)
Production (51) 776 $25,066 $37,411 $9,362 61%
Transportation and Material
1,967 $24,841 $34,928 $7,190 53%
Moving (53)
Grand Total 4,981 $22,895 $31,607 $7,050 57%
Wages by Race & Ethnicity
All credentialed racial and ethnic groups saw increases in their median wages. The wage
analysis by race and ethnicity is complicated by the high numbers of unknown and
unreported and with some groups having relatively small cell sizes. (See the enrollments and
success rates by race and ethnicity above.) A higher percentage of Black and African
American students saw wage gains compared to white students and compared to the
average. However, Hispanic students saw below average median wage gains, and only 48%
of credential earners actually earned more after the program than before.
Table 7: Wages Pre- and Post-Program for Credentialed Students by Race & Ethnicity FY 2017-18
# of Students w/
Students receiving
pre- and post-
Median Pre-wage Median Post-wage Median Wage Change positive wage
wages successfully
premium
matched
American Indian or
15 $19,972 $30,560 $8,754 47%
Alaska Native
Asian 96 $25,649 $28,630 $7,533 45%
Black or African
1,232 $20,331 $27,944 $6,760 59%
American
Hispanic 212 $20,175 $27,113 $4,358 48%
Multi-Race 85 $17,965 $26,583 $6,668 61%
Native Hawaiian or
10 $18,872 $38,451 $23,254 60%
Other Pacific Islander
Unknown 361 $24,876 $39,784 $8,382 52%
Unreported 480 $29,896 $36,909 $5,998 50%
White 2,490 $23,449 $32,974 $7,372 58%
Grand Total 4,981 $22,895 $31,607 $7,050 57%
Wage Increase by Income Range
To better understand WCG’s impact on social mobility, the table below measures students’
wages by pre-wage quartile. Usually in this type of analysis an equal number of records exist
in each group. However, students still needed to have their post-program wages matched, so
the number of students in each quartile varies.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
All income groups’ median wages increased after completing their credential. Students in the
bottom quartile (with wages less than $8,200 before completing their credential) saw the
highest median wage increase. These lowest income students saw median wage increases of
over $15,000, or over 400%. As a group however, only 39% actually saw an increase in their
wages.
Students in the 2nd quartile (with wages between $8,200 and $21,000) were most likely to see
an increase in wages (70%). Their change in median wage was roughly $9,200.
Table 8: Wages Pre- and Post-Program for Credentialed Students by Income Quartile FY 2017-18
# of Students
w/ pre- and Students receiving
Median Wage
Pre-Wage Quartile post- wages Median Pre-wage Median Post-wage positive wage
Change
successfully premium
matched
1st
1,550 $3,765 $20,025 $15,157 39%
($0 - $8,216)
2nd
1,202 $15,003 $24,464 $9,231 70%
($8,217 - $21,490)
3rd
1,220 $29,154 $35,460 $5,363 65%
($21,481 - $37,891)
4th
1,009 $51,975 $55,815 $2,960 57%
($37,892 and Up)
Total 4,981 $22,895 $31,607 $7,050 57%
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2020
ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS AND NEXT STEPS
Since the inception of the Workforce Credential Grant in 2016, the program has continued to
grow based on student demand. The largest areas of enrollment occur in occupational fields
with annual job openings that exceed training completions. In addition, students’ median
earnings consistently increase post-training completion and even more so if the student earns
the credential.
As noted in the summary, this report does not include the enrollment or success of 1,903
students who enrolled in a WCG program but were unable to complete their training or
credential due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In alignment with Governor Northam’s Executive
Order Number 51, Secretary of Education Atif Qarni and SCHEV Director Peter Blake issued
guidance to WCG institutions in April 2020. The guidance laid out three scenarios for how to
adjust the pay-for-performance model, including when to refund student charges and to
request pro-rated performance payments based on the training and credential completion
rates of the specific workforce program for the prior year.
The Virginia Board for Workforce Development is expected to update the list of high-
demand occupations this year. The Virginia Community College System and other WCG
providers will then match program offerings to this updated list of high-demand
occupations. SCHEV staff are participating in a data-focused workgroup to assist the Board
in those efforts. SCHEV is also working toward incorporating WCG’s data into the data
collection and publication system that SCHEV operates for students pursuing for-credit
programs. This should add transparency and accountability for the program.
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New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2019
APPENDIX: FY 2020 TRAINING CREDENTIAL ENROLLMENT, COMPLETIONS AND COSTS
Avg Reimbursed
Training Credential % Complete % Complete Average Sum of total
Enrollments Per Credential
Completions Completions Training Credential Tuition reimbursed
Earned
Computer and Mathematical (15) 542 498 243 92% 49% $723 $564,940 $2,325
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner 22 22 16 100% 73% $322 $12,236 $765
AWS Certified Solutions Architect 34 34 29 100% 85% $943 $59,461 $2,050
CompTIA A+ 175 155 51 89% 33% $816 $175,620 $3,444
CompTIA Linux+ Certification 45 44 43 98% 98% $1,158 $100,740 $2,343
CompTIA Network+ 95 87 35 92% 40% $643 $88,770 $2,536
CompTIA Server+ 22 17 7 77% 41% $233 $5,600 $800
Computer Entry Level (CISCO Networking
Technician and Associate, CompTIA IT 68 65 30 96% 46% $350 $32,535 $1,085
Fundamentals)
Information Systems Security (CompTIA Security,
77 70 31 91% 44% $841 $85,977 $2,773
Certified professional and ethical hacker)
Project Management Professional (PMP) 4 4 1 100% 25% $800 $4,000 $4,000
Construction and Extraction (47) 2,206 2,101 1,582 95% 75% $211 $813,851 $514
Construction (Project Management, Carpentry,
18 12 - 67% 0% $134 $960 N/A
Contractor's License)
Core - Introductory Craft Skills 286 266 217 93% 82% $300 $144,961 $668
Heavy Equipment Operations 73 71 65 97% 92% $883 $119,586 $1,840
Highway Construction 1,563 1,490 1,068 95% 72% $127 $330,448 $309
HVAC (includes license renewal) 18 18 17 100% 94% $425 $14,875 $875
Marine Trade Training 114 112 106 98% 95% $524 $115,400 $1,089
Plumbing &Electrical (including license renewal) 134 132 109 99% 83% $366 $87,621 $804
Education, Training, and Library (25) 30 21 23 70% 110% $1,330 $58,520 $2,544
Teaching License 30 21 23 70% 110% $1,330 $58,520 $2,544
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical (29) 256 216 85 84% 39% $467 $132,416 $1,558
Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support 12 12 12 100% 100% $50 $1,200 $100
EKG Technician 15 12 9 80% 75% $509 $10,586 $1,176
Emergency Medical Technician 54 42 18 78% 43% $396 $23,625 $1,313
Pharmacy Technician 175 150 46 86% 31% $513 $97,005 $2,109
New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2019
Healthcare Support (31) 1,061 947 701 89% 74% $830 $1,403,863 $2,003
Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) 321 272 146 85% 54% $651 $267,581 $1,833
Medical Assistant 466 424 388 91% 92% $1,063 $863,331 $2,225
Medication Aide 45 41 14 91% 34% $325 $18,713 $1,337
Phlebotomy Technician 229 210 153 92% 73% $704 $254,238 $1,662
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair (49) 714 666 556 93% 83% $825 $1,037,644 $1,866
Apartment Maintenance Technician 1 - - 0% N/A $486 $0 N/A
Driveline/Hydraulics Certification 13 13 3 100% 23% $490 $9,170 $3,057
Electrical and electrical systems 230 212 185 92% 87% $529 $210,170 $1,136
Engine Repair 30 29 8 97% 28% $165 $6,075 $759
Facilities Maintenance - - N/A N/A $1,115 $0 N/A
HVAC (includes license renewal) 191 170 146 89% 86% $622 $197,860 $1,355
Industrial Maintenance Mechanic - Level 1 2 2 2 100% 100% $932 $3,728 $1,864
Other (Driveline/Hydraulics, Diesel Engine,
5 3 2 60% 67% $275 $1,375 $688
Workready Foundations CORE)
Power Industry Fundamentals 92 91 67 99% 74% $1,200 $189,600 $2,830
Power Line Worker 150 146 143 97% 98% $1,453 $419,666 $2,935
Office and Administrative Support (43) 261 217 102 83% 47% $784 $256,986 $2,519
Billing and Coding Specialist 120 96 59 80% 61% $958 $157,006 $2,661
Customer Services and Sales 31 26 10 84% 38% $277 $10,080 $1,008
Medical Administrative Assistant 41 39 9 95% 23% $659 $30,576 $3,397
Professional Coder 47 40 20 85% 50% $778 $45,524 $2,276
SHRM Certified Professional 22 16 4 73% 25% $690 $13,800 $3,450
Production (51) 973 913 656 94% 72% $583 $907,078 $1,383
Backflow Prevention 27 25 18 93% 72% $173 $6,550 $364
Machining 181 177 144 98% 81% $548 $168,908 $1,173
Manufacturing entry level (specialist and
61 53 28 87% 53% $575 $45,065 $1,609
production technician)
Manufacturing Technician 1 (MT1) 79 72 36 91% 50% $445 $47,320 $1,314
Mechatronics (Siemens Certifications) 3 1 - 33% 0% $1,015 $1,015 N/A
Photovoltaic 56 56 43 100% 77% $413 $39,743 $924
Six Sigma 34 34 20 100% 59% $647 $34,000 $1,700
Welding 532 495 367 93% 74% $648 $564,477 $1,538
New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report FY 2019
Transportation and Material Moving (53) 1,441 1,300 958 90% 74% $1,256 $2,804,980 $2,928
Commercial Driver's License A 1,178 1,045 756 89% 72% $1,436 $2,602,793 $3,443
Logistics Associate 117 111 103 95% 93% $404 $87,300 $848
Logistics Technician 106 104 78 98% 75% $557 $104,000 $1,333
Remote Pilot Airman Certification 40 40 21 100% 53% $177 $10,887 $518
Grand Total 7,484 6,879 4,906 92% 71% $677 $7,980,278 $1,627
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