Secretary of Labor’s Quarterly Progress Report on the Transition of Workforce Programs (As of March 27, 2024)

Summary

Secretary of Labor's Quarterly Progress Report on the Transition of Workforce Programs to the Governor of Virginia and the General Assembly, covering stakeholder advisory group outcomes, transition progress, and current and expected transition costs as of March 27, 2024. It says it covers activities since the last report, submitted November 30, 2023. It describes a stakeholder work group advising the Secretary during the program transition period from July 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. It states that all programs have functionally transitioned to Virginia Works (aka Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) as of January 16, 2024, from the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) and Virginia Community College System (VCCS).

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Cite this document

“Secretary of Labor’s Quarterly Progress Report on the Transition of Workforce Programs (As of March 27, 2024).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2024-rd220-20bd6d8d1e/, SHA-256 a9fe4c7f14b14f2ce9212ab5f188a6239196827df0b550d67e2687df94aa1494.

Full text

Secretary of Labor’s Quarterly
Progress Report on the
Transition of Workforce
Programs to the Governor of
Virginia and the General
Assembly
STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUP OUTCOMES,
TRANSITION PROGRESS, AND CURRENT AND EXPECTED
TRANSITION COSTS
AS OF MARCH 27, 2024
Table of Contents
Background.................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Progress of the Transition ..................................................................................................................................................... 2
Program Transition Complete ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Communications and Change Management ................................................................................................................ 2
Fiscal and Physical Transition ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Agency Stand Up: Activities ................................................................................................................................................ 6
Phase 4: Driving Success | High-Level Activities .......................................................................................................... 7
Agency Transition Workstreams ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Organizational Design ........................................................................................................................................................... 9
2024 Legislation ................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Beyond the Agency: Commonwealth-Wide Coordination on Workforce Development .................. 11
Commonwealth-Wide Town Hall and Additional Engagement......................................................................... 16
Cost of the Transition .......................................................................................................................................................... 17
Appendix.................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Virginia Works: Mission, Vision, and Values .............................................................................................................. 18
Meeting Minutes ................................................................................................................................................................. 18

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Background
The Virginia Acts of Assembly – 2023 Session Chapter 624 mandates a quarterly report on the
outcomes of the transition and expected costs. This report covers activities and updates since the
last report (submitted November 30, 2023) up to the Stakeholder Advisory Group’s meeting on
March 27, 2024.
That the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) shall convene a stakeholder work group consisting of two
members of the House of Delegates appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, two
members of the Senate of Virginia appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, representatives from
the agencies affected by the transfer of programs pursuant to this act, local workforce boards, the
business community, and labor organizations, and any other representatives deemed appropriate by
the Secretary, for the purpose of advising the Secretary during the program transition period from July
1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. The Secretary shall provide a progress report on the
outcomes of the work group, the progress of the transition, the current and expected costs of
transition, and the expected ongoing operational costs of the Department quarterly to the
Governor and the General Assembly.

Progress of the Transition
Program Transition Complete
All programs have functionally transitioned to Virginia Works (aka Department of Workforce
Development and Advancement) as of January 16, 2024. The functional transition of staff to
Virginia Works occurred from October 2023 through January 2024, included new agency
leadership and reporting structures, but not a physical location change. All determined programs
and functions have transitioned from the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), Department of
Labor and Industry (DOLI) and Virginia Community College System (VCCS) to Virginia Works with
great success, supported by a proactive communication and change management plan.

Heading into the functional transition, it was recognized the most significant change management
impact is around the Title 1 team from VCCS as their transition is not a clean lift and shift as their
work crosses many functions, and several individuals took alternative positions at VCCS; and the
registered apprenticeship team transitioned without senior leadership due to a retirement and
transfer to another agency. The assistant director for registered apprenticeship has since been
named and is the senior leader of the team. We are actively recruiting for current vacant positions
in both program areas.

Communications and Change Management
A robust, formal communications and change management plan was developed and executed
upon to connect all transitioning staff ahead of their transition to Virginia Works. These
engagement activities provided team members moving to the new agency with valuable
opportunities to connect with leadership, ease any concerns, and maintain continuity of
operations. Among the regular communications tools deployed are the following:

Town Halls: Ten agency-wide meetings have been hosted by the leadership team that

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provide major transition updates and an opportunity for staff to hear directly from agency
leadership. These occur monthly. The town halls to date have addressed questions from
staff on topics like parking, their future office space, human resource considerations, and
other topics that brought up by participating staff. Given the completion of the functional
transition, the Town Halls will now focus on the physical transition, connecting programs
with each other to promote collaboration within the agency and spotlighting employees
and their work.

Virginia Works & Advance Newsletter: A monthly newsletter goes out to all
transitioning employees and provides a deeper dive into transition activities, program
highlights, and other fun and engaging information for employees of Virginia Works. Ten
editions of newsletter have been delivered to date.

Office Hours: 30-minute virtual sessions that were offered to employees transitioning to
the new agency to ask questions, pose any concerns and provide feedback. Fifteen office
hour sessions were offered.

Managers Sync: Weekly and bi-weekly short meetings as needed with transitioning
managers heading into the functional transition – depending on program size - leading up
to, during, and after the transitioning month to check in, provide any resources, updates,
collect feedback and any need for extra support. Five syncs were hosted.

Surveys: Pre- and post-transition surveys are provided to each group of transitioning
employees and feedback is informs the iteration of future materials. Nine surveys were
delivered. Below are the results from the submitted post-transition surveys collected
across all employees who transitioned to the new agency.

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86% of employees strongly agreed or agreed No employees thought there was a lack of
that the Functional Transition went smoothly. communication from the Transition Team.

82% of employees strongly agreed or agreed 86% of employees strongly agreed or agreed
that the engagement opportunities prepared that the Functional Transition did not disrupt
them for the Functional Transition. their day-to-day work.

4
Fiscal and Physical Transition
The Virginia Works team is eagerly anticipating the fiscal and physical transition of staff to after
July 1, 2024, and will include a physical work location change to the Virginia Works central office
in the Richmond area, new email addresses, and payroll will begin to come from the new agency.
This final transition will make the cohesiveness of the team more apparent and allow for a
complete, coordinated administration of the agency – as it is a current cultural challenge to not
have a central headquarters in the Richmond area. A new central office will be selected following
an in-depth evaluation and negotiation process working with Department of General Services
(DGS). A robust change management plan is in development to support the physical transition, in
conjunction with the communications and other engagement during the post-functional
transition. Once details regarding the building selection, build-out, and other pertinent
information for transitioning staff has been finalized, the change management plan will be put in
place, and implementation will begin.

Starting July 2024, a shared-services model with the Virginia Employment Commission will be
adopted for most back-office functions including human resources, finance, procurement, internal
audit, and some information technology. In the meantime, we have forged strong relationships
with the fiscal and human resources teams amongst the four entities.

The finance director at VEC is working around-the-clock with the U.S. Department of Labor to
manage the transition of all the grants that fund the work of the new agency, in addition to
coordination with the Virginia Department of Accounts and Planning and Budget. This is a
significant lift to ensure that agency is operational since the vast majority of the funding of the
agency comes from the federal government and paramount to seamless operations.

The fiscal transition also includes working with the Virginia Department of Human Resources,
Virginia Retirement System and Department of Accounts to ensure all payroll, health and
retirement benefits transition to the new agency without any impact on Virginia Works team
members.

The transition of technology is an unprecedented effort in the Commonwealth as we transition
the individual profiles, devices, and data systems to Virginia Works without interruption. The VEC
team is leading extraordinary work in coordination with VITA and VITA suppliers to make this
happen and minimize impact. As Carrie Roth, Director of Virginia Works, transitioned from VEC to
the new agency, she is employee one to make sure it is all tested and ready to go prior to the rest
of the team members transition pre-, post- July 1st.

5
Agency Stand Up: Activities
The establishment of Virginia Works, including the transition of people, programs, services, and
systems takes place over four distinct phases and runs through FY 2025. They include:
A detailed implementation plan was developed with leadership and key stakeholders, and is
refined regularly as needed, and tracked in a project management tool. Now that the programs
have functionally transitioned, Director Roth and her leadership team have begun to focus on
agency success, including service area process improvement.

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Phase 4: Driving Success | High-Level Activities
An integral part of the “Driving Success” phase of the Agency’s Stand Up is that of supporting and
driving the measurement of improvements across all service areas within the agency. To drive
improved program outcomes and being to stand up new functions within the agency, a process
improvement initiative kicked-off in March 2024. The Virginia Works’ Process Improvement
Initiative is an opportunity for employees to get involved and engaged in the co-creation of
initiatives to improve the way that service areas operate. This is an opportune time to reflect on
current mission, processes, and partnerships to continue creating success stories across the
Commonwealth. Service areas will be engaged in sprint cycles - bringing together working groups
to brainstorm initiatives and drive change. Each sprint consists of three phases with clear activities
to assist the working groups in their development, prioritization, selection, and implementation of
initiatives.

To date, the working groups for three initial service areas (Rapid Response/EIA, Reemployment
Services and Eligibility Assessment/EIA & Monitors) have been assembled and leads have been
selected and engaged with. In the coming months, the working groups will participate in several
working sessions and discussions to align on key initiatives, the measurements of success and
begin to implement solutions toward improving their service area within key focus areas such as
partnerships, collaboration, agency integrations and operations to name a few.

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Agency Transition Workstreams
Several workstreams have been heavily involved in contributing agency-specific knowledge that
helped facilitate a smooth transition of people and programs. The workstreams consist of
Commonwealth of Virginia subject matter experts from the various agencies that advised on the
stand up of the agency and helped refine the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for each
program, and each has subgroups that vary according to the current agency transition needs.
They include:

1. Operations
a. Finance/Budget: The team has been working through tactical items including,
finance system updates, a grant transfer process and schedule, registering the
new agency with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and
reappropriation/reallocation of general funds. The team has also held several
meetings with the US Department of Labor (USDOL) regarding the timing of the
transfer of grants to Virginia Works, personnel transfer, and expense carry-over.
b. Procurement: The procurement workstream has coordinated with corresponding
operations workstreams and is supporting ongoing prioritization of relevant
tasks.
c. Facilities: Considerable work has been completed for securing a new physical
office space for the agency. Test fits were completed, and final
evaluation/selection underway.
d. Shared Services: Shared Services has worked to establish all the necessary HR and
fiscal management processes.
2. Program Administration
a. Procedures: Programmatic specific procedures have been collected and
management report cards were created for each transitioning program to
validate program information.
b. Compliance: Compliance dependencies have been collected and tracked from
all programs that have transitioned for this year.
c. Regulatory Reporting: Programmatic regulatory requirements have been
collected for all transitioned programs and performance measures were
established for programs.
d. Grants Management: Work has included the tracking and cataloging of
available grant opportunities and the stand up of the Grants Management
Department.
3. Employee Experience
a. Human Resources: An in-depth evaluation, led by Department of Human
Resource Management (DHRM), has continued to ensure consistent alignment
to transitioned employees’ role titles, work titles, Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA)
status, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Category, and salaries across
comparable job functions. The HR team has led hiring efforts for several

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vacancies across the programs.
b. Communications: As outlined in the communication and change management
section, the communications workstream has been supporting employee
engagement across the completion of the employee transition to the new
agency as well as the wide-spread use of new brand materials.
4. Data, Technology, and Analytics
a. IT Infrastructure: Ongoing coordination has continued between Virginia
Information Technology Agency (VITA) for the movement of users and device
migrations from both VEC and DOLI. The workstream has also created a plan to
provide equipment to the VCCS team members as they begin to physically work at
the new agency. Evaluations of potentially necessary Memorandum of
Understandings (MOUs) and data sharing agreements is underway.
b. Landing Page/Technology Hub: The website domain was placed by VITA
into the proposal sprint that started on February 21st. An initial landing
page was then created by the workstream for the new agency under the
name of virginiaworks.gov.

The project management tool, SmartPMO, has continued to be used to track the activities,
milestones, and phases of each workstream, across the entirety of the agency stand up. These
inputs are updated and tracked daily and used to inform weekly transition update meetings with
the Secretary of Labor and other leadership and is visible across workstreams. Risks are tracked in
the system, and reports are automatically created, or can be pulled when needed. The weekly
transition update meetings provide the opportunity for workstream leads to report on progress
and raise any decision points for Director Roth and the Secretary of Labor.

Organizational Design
The Organizational Design was solidified in October 2023 and the socialization process occurred
as each group transitioned to the new agency. The High-Level Organizational Design for the
DWDA (shown below) includes four distinct new functions around work-based learning, external
business engagement, metrics, and grants development.

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Virginia Works High-level Organizational Chart

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2024 Legislation
Del. Walker (HB544) and Sen. Suetterlein (SB436) introduced legislation to make some
administrative changes to the section of the Code of Virginia for Virginia Works (Department of
Workforce Development and Advancement). Based on information learned during the
development of Virginia Works, the legislation makes several changes to improve how the agency
delivers workforce services. Updates include:

• Changes to the title of the Director of the Department of Workforce Development and
Advancement to the Commissioner of Workforce Development and Advancement.
• Deems the Department responsible for providing the official list of high-demand
occupations to eligible educational institutions providing consistency across the
programs.
• Updates the membership of the Apprenticeship Council.
• Other technical changes.

HB544 was defeated on the House floor. SB436 was unanimously approved by both the Senate
and House and is on its way to Governor Youngkin’s desk for action by April 8th.

Beyond the Agency: Commonwealth-Wide Coordination on
Workforce Development
§ 2.2-2037-5 of the Code of Virginia gives the Secretary of Labor the authority to regularly track
metrics relating to workforce development programs and establish a mechanism to help assess
the adequacy of Virginia Works services and programs. In addition, 2.2-2042, provides for the
agency to provide the mechanisms for the reporting. After a successful metrics pilot in the fall of
2023, the metrics effort was scaled out to workforce programs across the Commonwealth.

In January 2024, workforce programs across 20 state agencies, spanning nine secretariats, were
engaged for the initial metrics collection period. Programs self-identified “data owner”
representatives who were responsible for the tracking and submission of data informing the
requested metrics. The Virginia Works coordinating team initiated the collection of six initial
baseline metrics. Those metrics were:

1. People Trained
2. Job Placements
3. Total Program Cost
4. Starting and Progressed Wage Growth
5. Job Retention Rate
6. Cost Per Placement (or Participant if program does not place individuals)

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The initial metrics reporting period, which concluded at the end of February 2024, intended to
engage programs and collect as much meaningful insight and context regarding their nuanced
operations, in addition to collecting quantitative data. Due to the nature of programmatic design
and purpose, responsible for the delivery of different types of services, not all programs could
submit data for each of the six metrics. Throughout March, the Virginia Works Metrics team has
been coordinating with programs, regarding their responses, to collect meaningful and
informative information.

The team conducted significant analysis on the data submissions received and findings from the
initial collection period are anticipated to be shared with programs and additional stakeholders
this spring. Additionally, considerable effort has been allocated to the design of metric
dashboarding and strategic discussions have been initiated for planning for the anticipated
transition to a more automated dashboard technology solution later in 2024. Metrics collection is
anticipated to be repeated on a quarterly basis; however, it is acknowledged that an annual
cumulative view of programmatic data will yield the most comprehensive view informing
baselines.

The metrics effort has relied on a growing and significant partnership between Secretary of
Labor’s Office, the Virginia Works Metrics Team, and all the workforce programs across the
Commonwealth. Ultimately, metrics tracking and reporting for state workforce programs will
increase customer and stakeholder transparency, enable historical measurement of programmatic
success, and leverage data-driven insights to inform improvements.

Per the Code of Virginia, the Secretary of Labor has the authority to oversee direction and
compliance across all workforce-related programs in the Commonwealth, and the associated
steps that are being taken to being tracking metrics and establishing reporting processes across
these programs. See figure below to view the current state of workforce development programs
across the Commonwealth.

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Workforce Development Programs Post July 2023

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The following set of programs have been engaged as part of the on-going metrics tracking and
reporting effort. The 72 programs within this list are either currently being tracked for the initial
reporting period or are slated to begin reporting in the following reporting period.
Agency Program List as of 3/26/2024
COMMERCE AND TRADE
Broadband Equity, Access, and Development Program (BEAD)
DHCD
Growth and Opportunity Fund (GO Virginia)
VCEDA Workforce Development and Training Fund
Advanced Manufacturing Talent Investment Program and Fund Pilot
Semiconductor Career Certification Program
VEDP Talent Accelerator Program
Tech Talent Investment
Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP)
Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing
VIPC
Commonwealth Cyber Initiative
Virginia Energy Training for Residential Energy Contractors (TREC)
EDUCATION
Adult Education
Microsoft IT Program
Path to Industry Certification
VDOE Perkins
PluggedIn Virginia
Work Based Learning Coordinators
Workplace Readiness Skills Assessment
Innovative Internship Program
SCHEV
New Economy Workforce Credential Grant (aka FastForward)
SVHEC SVHEC Workforce Training Programs
Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Innovation and Program Grants
Institutes of Excellence for Non-Credit Training and Instruction
VCCS
Non-Credit Workforce Training
Postsecondary Career and Technical Educations (PERKINS)
ODU (Old
Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program (CSIIP) at the Space Grant
Dominion
Consortium
University)
HEALTH AND HUMAN RESOURCES
State General Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program
DARS
Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
Learning Excellence in Academic Programs (LEAP)
DBVI Learning Independence, Feeling Empowered (LIFE)
Vocational Rehabilitation Program
DSS Family Engagement Services

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Refugee Support Services Program
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP
E&T)
Virginia Initiative for Building Earning Capacity of Parents
Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare (VIEW)
Virginia Refugee Resettlement Program
ARC J-1 Waiver
CNA Nursing Scholarships
Earn to Learn Nursing Education Acceleration Program
Health and Human Services Waiver Program
MMNSP Nursing Scholarships, LPN & RN
National Interest Waiver Program
Nurse Educator Nursing Scholarships
VDH Nursing Preceptor Incentive Program
Nursing Scholarships Long-Term facility (CAN, LPN, RN)
Nursing Scholarships Nurse Practitioner / Nurse Mid-Wife
Virginia Behavioral Health Student Loan Repayment Program
Virginia Conrad 30 Waiver Program
Virginia Student Loan Repayment Program
Virginia Student Loan Repayment Program, Delta Dental Foundation Extension
Virginia Student Loan Repayment Program, Tobacco Extension
LABOR
Registered Apprenticeship
Employment Service Program
Foreign Labor Certification
Hampton Roads Skilled Trades Rapid On-ramp Network for Growth (HR
STRONG)
Jobs for Veterans (JVSG)
Virginia Works
Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA)
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
Work Opportunity Tax Credit
WIOA Adult
WIOA Dislocated Worker
WIOA Youth
NATURAL AND HISTORIC RESOURCES
VMRC Waterman’s Apprentice Program
PUBLIC SAFETY
DFP Training and Professional Development
DJJ Workforce Development Initiative
Apprenticeship
DOC Career and Technical Education (Vocational)
Work Certifications
VETERANS AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

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Military Education & Workforce Initiative (MEWI)
DVS Military Medics and Corpsman Program (MMAC)
Virginia Values Veterans (V3)

*60 out of 72 programs in this list were tracked within the initial reporting period. The remaining
were identified later in the process and will be included in the second round of reporting.

Commonwealth-Wide Town Hall and Additional Engagement
The next Commonwealth-wide Town Hall has been scheduled for April 18, 2024, where we plan to
dive deeper into the continued collection of data from the Metrics Team and recent success stories.
The continuous execution of this town hall is an important effort that aligns program leaders
across the executive branch, establishing a precedence of tracking metrics to bolster and better
understand programmatic impact. Much of the progress outlined and information provided
earlier in this section of the report will be communicated during the Commonwealth-wide Town
Hall. The group will also highlight what activities have been completed since the group last
convened, the activities that are underway and what to expect next.

In addition to the Town Halls, Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development Overley, Director
Roth, Chief Deputy Director Kelly-Wiecek, Deputy Director for External Affairs Byron, and others
have continued to engage with programs across the Commonwealth that have workforce
development components or workforce development-related needs. Their conversations have
been impactful in understanding the extensive landscape and bringing programs into the fold.

In addition, Virginia Works is in the customer-discovery and design phase for a technology hub
that will serve as the virtual one stop for job seekers and employers, while fulfilling needs for data
sharing and reporting across agencies and programs at the state and local level. Requirements for
this technology hub have been developed for a request for proposal.

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Cost of the Transition
ACTUAL EXPENSES:

Item Cost Timeframe Additional Notes
July 2023 - February
Cost of Contractor $1,975,127
2024
These are costs incurred at
Cost of DWDA July 2023 - February VEC for DWDA transition
$91,996
Transition 2024 including VEC IT employee
expenses.
DWDA admin salaries/benefits,
Cost of DWDA October 2023 -
$225,275 VITA costs, rent and portion of
Operations February 2024
indirect associated with hours.

This includes administrative
costs, IT costs (e.g., website,
circuits, application transfer,
Expected Cost of
$1,991,226 user, and device migration,
Physical Transition
etc.), and facility costs
including moving and
furniture.

Note: The 2024 Budget Conference Report includes $1.5M for transition costs.

FUTURE OPERATING COSTS:
It is too early for us to calculate on-going operating costs once the agency is fully operational as
we will be finalizing various inputs, most importantly federal allocations to the agency programs.

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Appendix
Virginia Works: Mission, Vision, and Values
Prior to the 2023 General Assembly Session, Secretary Slater and other workforce development
stakeholders developed a working group to align on a shared definition of “workforce
development” in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The resulting definition was:

The coordination of public- and private-sector policies and programs that empowers
Virginians with the skills, knowledge, and experience for a sustainable livelihood and enables
businesses to achieve their growth ambitions, driving a robust Virginia economy.

Once aligned on a shared definition of what workforce development means in the
Commonwealth, the next step was to create a set of mission, vision, and values to be used as
guiding principles for the new agency. The principles are as follows:

The Mission: To create, sustain, and retain a viable workforce that can support current and
future business and industry while recognizing the unique regional needs and capabilities
of the Commonwealth through public-private partnerships and robust data and
infrastructure investment, which results in standard measures and program accountability.

The Vision:
• Coordinated service delivery that is easily accessible
• Best-in-class centralized data collection to inform decision-making
• Agile system to address both the state and local workforce needs
• Consistent metrics to measure program success
• Single sign-on to connect employers and job seekers to opportunities
• Responsive to employer needs
• Business and industry involved in training and curriculum development

The Values:
• Accessible to all Virginians
• Metrics for accountable and transparent program management
• Standardized metrics of success
• Innovative and responsive programs with a focus on the customer
• Centralized direction and management accountability under one agency whose
priority is workforce development

Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes for the July 25, September 29, and November 29, 2023, meetings can be found
below and at https://www.labor.virginia.gov/workforce-transition/

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JULY MEETING DETAILS

Meeting Date and Time: July 25, 2023, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Meeting Location: 1111 E. Broad St., Richmond VA 23219, Patrick Henry Building, East Reading
Room

Members Present:

Sharon Alexander (virtual)

Senator George Barker

Hobey Bauhan

Dale Bennet

Peter Blake Erin

Burcham Tom

Cosgrove Kirk

Cox

Elizabeth Creamer Lisa

Disselkamp

Mark Dreyfus (virtual)

Sara Dunnigan (virtual)

Jim Dyke (virtual) Adam

Ebbin

Jamie Gillespie Judy

Hackler (virtual) Bill

Hazel

19
Megan Healy

Marty Holiday

Jim Jenkins Bill

Leighty

Latitia McCane

Heather McKay (virtual)

Jim Monroe (virtual) Gary

Pan

Jason Parker Nicole

Riley Brandon

Robinson Carrie

Roth

Frank Ruff (virtual)

Don Scott Secretary

Slater James

Spencer

Randall Stamper (virtual) My

Lan Tran (virtual) Dennis

Treacy

Delegate Wendell Walker (virtual)

Delegate Michael Webert Anthony

Williams

Michel Zajur

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Members Absent:

John Albert

Xavier Beale Phil

Boykin Julie

Coons

Doris Crouse-Mays

Brian Davis

Patrick Dean Julia

Hammond Mark

Herzog Lane

Hopkins Jack

McDougle

Alison Morrison-Shetlar

Brett Vassey

Emily Webb James

Williams

Quorum Y  N ☐

Staff Member Memorializing:

Debbie Lewis

Staff and Others Present:

Glenn Davidson, Deloitte

Leslie Haley, Deputy Attorney General

David Johnson, DOLI

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Wendy Kang, Senate Finance Staff Sachi

Kolgi, Deloitte

Finlay Lee, Governor’s Fellow

Debbie Lewis, Executive Assistant to the Secretary of Labor

Ashley Lockhart, Deloitte

Anthony Reedy, Deputy Secretary of Labor

Billy Reid, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Labor George

Taratsas, Directory of Workforce Development Reed Terry,

Governor’s Fellow

Jeb Wilkinson, Deputy Director of Workforce Development

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AGENDA DETAILS:

Agenda topic: Open the Meeting, Bring Meeting to Order, Roll Call Secretary

Slater opened the meeting and brought it to order at 1:03pm. Deputy

Secretary Anthony Reedy called roll and quorum was met.

Agenda topic: Opening Comments

Presenter: George “Bryan” Slater, Secretary of Labor

Summary of topic:

This is a 55-member group. We have an aggressive timeline because we want to pursue real
institutional change. The plan is to have it up and running before Governor Youngkin leaves
office.

Glenn Davidson of Deloitte Consulting makes comments and introduces his team.

Agenda topic: : Virtual Meeting Policy

Presenters: Anthony Reedy, Deputy Secretary of Labor and Flora Hazel, Attorney General’s
Office

Summary of topic:
Introduced the Virtual Meeting Attendance Policy. Nicole Riley made the motion to approve, and
Commissioner Carrie Roth seconded. Motion carried.

Action required by the Board? Y  N ☐

Agenda topic: Enabling Legislation Review

Presenter: Anthony Reedy, Deputy Secretary of Labor

Summary of topic:

Review of Legislation – Senate Bill 1470 & House Bill 1470. Acknowledged the legislation and the
many parties who have been involved. Discussed the objectives. A provision of the legislation
was the development of this advisory group until at least September 2024. There were no
questions.

Agenda topic: Purpose and Objectives of the Stakeholder Advisory Group
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Presenters: George “Bryan” Slater, Secretary of Labor; Flora Hazel, Senior Assistant
Attorney General; Leslie Haley, Deputy Attorney General

Summary of topic:

Sec. Slater reviewed the goals and purpose of the group. Flora Hazel reviewed the role and
responsibility of the advisory group, which is different than a policy or supervisory group that
makes rules and regulations. Advisory groups provide comments and recommendations.
Because it is a public body, stakeholders (more than three) that meet and discuss topics of the
Stakeholder Advisory Group are subject to FOIA regulations. Any emails shared between
stakeholders regarding Stakeholder Advisory Group information is subject to FOIA request
regulations.

Agenda topic: Transition Updates

Presenter: Ashley Lockhart, Manager of the Workforce Transition Team Summary

of topic:

Reviewed the workstreams and the stand up phases.

Discussion highlights:

Ashley Lockhart reviewed Phase 1 and Phase 2 accomplishments.
Monthly Town Hall meetings (two so far), Workforce Summit in April, Focus Groups on a variety of
topics, Monthly Newsletter – all to engage transitioning staff. Will be about 400 staff and roughly
90% are from the VEC.

Transition Updates and Proposed Program Transition Schedule; starting with smaller programs
to work out the kinks and make modifications as necessary. Goal is to create the best possible
transition experience. Considering each individual person and the role they will fill.

Change Management – the goal is to overcommunicate. Phases are Plan, Prepare, Implement,
and Sustain.

Questions and answers throughout the session.

Action required by the Board? Y☐ N ☒

Agenda topic: Public Comment

Discussion highlights:

Judy Hackler’ Comment via Chat: Two areas that should be considered with the stand-up of the
DWDA is streamlining processes for employers and the public to submit and receive background
checks and employment certifications, registrations, etc.
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My Tran’s detailed four areas of focus:

1. The state needs a friendly to use and easy to navigate intake database at the one stop centers
or any direct client points of contacts.

2. Establish a Better jobs seekers preparation program for job seekers.

3. The state to adopt a more aggressive approach in promoting Federal dollar funded training
programs as available options for career seekers so they can transition to better career path.

4. The state to find ways to shorten the waiting period time length for a job seeker to attain the
training program (s) they are suited for so they will not miss training start date - graduation
date, resulting in quicker return date to employment.

Sec. Slater’s Response: We are trying to put together a one stop with the new agency. We have
put together MOUs with all agencies that have workforce data. We will be sharing data starting in
Dec. 2023 via the data trust. We are looking at vendors to create a central portal for workforce
dev. services. Regarding data, VOEE is focused on training for top jobs and making sure that each
region knows their top jobs.

Heather’s Comment: We are working with and meeting with interested parties and stakeholders
that will use the list of top jobs for federal and state policy. All are invited to these conversations.
Please reach out via email to participate.
Secretary Slater’s Comment: We were able to work with the community college system to better
prepare workers for in-demand jobs within the trucking industry.

Question: Regarding investment and ROI, how will that be reinvested into the system?

Sec. Slater’s Response: Any savings will be reinvestment into workforce programs.

Agenda topic: Q&A and Closing Comments No

additional Q&A.

Closing Comments: In January and March we will set meetings for Friday afternoons so that
legislature can participate. Additional information about the Stakeholder Advisory Group and
the transition can be found on the Secretary of Labor’s website. The team is working on building
out a site to serve as a repository for all this info. Eventually everything will move to the DWDA
website.

Agenda topic: Adjournment

Motion to adjourn: Jason Parker

Second: Michael Webert

With no further business to discuss, meeting adjourned at 2:28 PM

25
SEPTEMBER MEETING DETAILS

Meeting Date and Time: September 29, 2023, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Meeting Location: 1111 E. Broad St., Richmond VA 23219, Patrick Henry Building, East Reading Room

Members Present:

Hobey Bauhan (virtual)

Dale Bennett (virtual)

Peter Blake

Phil Boykin Erin

Burcham

Julie Coons (virtual)

Tom Cosgrove Doris

Crouse-Mays Brian

Davis

Lisa Disselkamp

Sara Dunnigan Jim

Dyke (virtual)

Adam Ebbin Jamie

Gillespie

Julia Hammond (virtual)

Megan Healy

Marty Holiday (virtual)

Jim Jenkins

Latitia McCane (virtual)

Jack McDougle Heather

McKay

Alison Morrison-Shetlar

26
Gary Pan (virtual)

Jason Parker

Nicole Riley (virtual)

Brandon Robinson

Carrie Roth

Don Scott (virtual) Secretary

Slater

James “Lou” Spencer

My Lan Tran

Brett Vassey

Delegate Wendell Walker (virtual)

Emily Webb (virtual)

Anthony Williams

Michel Zajur (virtual)

Members Absent: John

Albert Sharon

Alexander

Senator George Barker

Xavier Beale

Kirk Cox

Elizabeth Creamer

Patrick Dean Mark

Dreyfus Judy

Hackler

Bill Hazel Mark

Herzog

27
Lane Hopkins

Bill Leighty Jim

Monroe Frank

Ruff

Randall Stamper

Dennis Treacy Michael

Webert James

Williams Quorum Y☐

N☒

Staff Member Memorializing:

Debbie Lewis

Staff and Others Present:

Ashley Lockhart, Deloitte

Sachi Kolgi, Deloitte Sydney

Colacarro, Deloitte

Anthony Reedy, Deputy Secretary of Labor

Debbie Lewis, Executive Assistant to the Secretary of Labor

Johnathan Arnold, VMA Fellow

Jeff Ryan, Deputy Commissioner VEC

Jeb Wilkinson, Deputy Director of Workforce Development

Angela Kelly-Wiecek, Chief Deputy Director DWDA

Kathy Byron, Deputy Director for External Affairs DWDA

Kim McKay, House Appropriations

Wendy Kang, Senate Finance

Flora Hezel and Zak Laws, Office of the Attorney General

28
AGENDA DETAILS:

Agenda topic: Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call

Secretary Slater opened the meeting and brought it to order at 10:02 am.

Deputy Secretary Anthony Reedy called roll and quorum was not met. Moved to adopt minutes
from July meeting but short of quorum.

Agenda topic: Opening Remarks

Presenter: George “Bryan” Slater, Secretary of Labor

Summary of topic:

Expected $5,000,000 in the budget and received $500,000; we are grateful for what we have. It
makes things more complicated but are going full speed ahead.

Introduced new agency leadership: Director Carrie Roth, Chief Deputy Director Angela Kelly-
Wiecek, Deputy Director for External Affairs Kathy Byron.

Invites Director Carrie Roth to present transition updates.

Agenda topic: Transition Updates

Presenter: Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (DWDA) Director
Carrie Roth and Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) Deputy Commissioner Jeff Ryan

Summary of topic:

Director Carrie Roth provided an Organizational Design update. Talent is the number one
competitive edge. Recruitment is being conducted for two positions: CIO and Virginia Board of
Workforce Development Executive Director. Functional Transition Timeline was shared; phased
transition is being conducted from October 2023 through March 2024. There is an emphasis on
clear, consistent, and transparent communication where all transitioning employees are

29
consistently provided information. Agency Transition Workstreams meet weekly with Secretary of
Labor and staff. More site visits at the end of next week.

Deputy Commissioner Jeff Ryan discussed Operations and Data, Technology and Analytics
workstream updates.

Agenda topic: Upcoming Transition Activities

Presenters: George “Bryan” Slater, Secretary of Labor

Summary of topic:

Secretary Slater reviewed upcoming activities, upcoming meetings, and key responsibilities of the
Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG). Asked for feedback about having the January SAG meeting
on a Friday or another day, or just wait till March, given the General Assembly time.

Our Ask of the SAG: Please visit your local workforce center, speak to the staff, the leadership. We
will be providing you a survey to share your experience and provide your input.

Agenda topic: Public Comment

Discussion highlights:

No one signed up for public comment.

Agenda topic: Q&A

Discussion around a variety of topics, including organizational design, Registered Apprenticeships,
business services, virtual presence, skills training, business community interaction, underemployed
participants, HR organizational engagement, and general suggestions from the body.

Agenda topic: Adjournment

No quorum Motion

to adjourn:

With no further business to discuss, meeting adjourned at 11:00 AM.

30
NOVEMBER MEETING DETAILS

Meeting Date and Time: September 29, 2023, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Meeting Location: 1111 E. Broad St., Richmond VA 23219, Patrick Henry Building, East Reading Room

Members Present:

Senator George Barker

Hobey Bauhan (virtual)

Dale Bennett (virtual)

Phil Boykin

Julie Coons (virtual)

Kirk Cox

Doris Crouse-Mays

Brian Davis

Lisa Disselkamp

Jim Dyke

Adam Ebbin (virtual)

Jamie Gillespie (virtual)

Judy Hackler

Julia Hammond

Mark Herzog

Marty Holiday

Bill Leighty (virtual)

Latitia McCane (virtual)

Jack McDougle

Heather McKay

Alison Morrison-Shetlar (virtual)

Gary Pan

Jason Parker

31
Nicole Riley (virtual)

Carrie Roth

Secretary Slater

James “Lou” Spencer

My Lan Tran

Dennis Treacy (virtual)

Brett Vassey (virtual)

Delegate Wendell Walker (virtual)

Emily Webb

Members Absent:

John Albert Sharon

Alexander Xavier

Beale Peter Blake

Erin Burcham Tom

Cosgrove Elizabeth

Creamer Patrick

Dean Mark Dreyfus

Sara Dunnigan Bill

Hazel

Megan Healy

Lane Hopkins

Jim Jenkins Jim

Monroe

Brandon Robinson

32
Frank Ruff Don

Scott

Randall Stamper

Michael Webert

Anthony Williams

James Williams

Michel Zajur

Quorum Y☐ N ☒

Staff Member Memorializing:

Debbie Lewis

Staff and Others Present:

Johnathan Arnold, VMA Fellow

Kathy Byron, Deputy Director for External Affairs DWDA

Alan Edwards (Peter Drake’s designee)

Andrea Glaze, Policy Analyst

Angela Kelly-Wiecek, Chief Deputy Director DWDA Tyler

Kirby, GWBOT

Sachi Kolgi, Deloitte

Debbie Lewis, Executive Assistant to the Secretary of Labor

Ashley Lockhart, Deloitte

Nicole Overley, Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development

Anthony Reedy, Deputy Secretary of Labor

Billy Reid, Sr. Advisor to the Secretary of Labor

Jeff Ryan, Deputy Commissioner VEC

George Taratsas, Director of Workforce Development

33
Jeb Wilkinson, Deputy Director of Workforce Development Flora

Hezel, Office of the Attorney General

34
AGENDA DETAILS:

Agenda topic: Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call

Secretary Slater opened the meeting and brought it to order at 10:03 am.

Gary Pan led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Deputy Secretary Anthony Reedy called roll and quorum was not met, so cannot approve the
minutes from July and September meetings.

Agenda topic: Opening Remarks

Presenter: George “Bryan” Slater, Secretary of Labor

Summary of topic:

Reviewed the detailed agenda topics. Introduced new staff, Deputy Secretary for Workforce
Development Nicole Overley. Deputy Overley offered remarks, expressing enthusiasm for joining
the team and working together.

Agenda topic: Transition Updates

Presenters: Director Carrie Roth, Department of Workforce Development and Advancement
(DWDA) and Deputy Commissioner Jeff Ryan, Virginia Employment Commission (VEC)

Summary of topic:

Director Roth discussed the logo announcement and reveal for Virginia Works. We will work
around it to build a strong brand to ensure that Virginia Works for everyone. The functional
transition timeline was moved up to November 6, 2023, and January 15/16, 2024. They continue to
have virtual office hours and Town Hall virtual meetings to keep everyone informed and maintain
alignment.
Deputy Jeff Ryan discussed Operations Workstream – Finance, Procurement, Facilities, and Shared
Services. Back-office accounting has been set up and the Governor will present the budget to the
General Assembly on December 20. We have a couple of finalists for a new location. Technology-
wise, seeking to have a seamless transition. It is the most complex and challenging aspect, but
35
everything is on track and in capable hands.

Director Roth underscored how she has worked with about half of the people involved for over
two years. Working on building culture as they are in separate places but will come together. On
technology, it’s a big lift and it’s the backbone of all the work. VirginiaWorks.gov has been
approved as an exemption by the federal government. A large amount of work is happening
around having a single portal. How can we use our data to inform our work and drive action.
Tim Sheeran from VCCS is leading that component of the functional transition. Employee
experience is a focus to make sure we have alignment and are adjusting where needed. It’s
providing a strong structure. The excitement and support from colleagues and other agencies
have been great.

Agenda topic: Upcoming Transition Activities

Presenters: George “Bryan” Slater, Secretary of Labor and Director Carrie Roth,
Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (DWDA)

Summary of topic:

Secretary Slater discussed metrics tracking and reporting for all state workforce development
programs to determine which programs are working and which ones are not working – and
share that with the legislature. How do we scale up, fix, or move it to one that is working.
Benefits are increased transparency and ability to make data driven decisions. Reviewed key
metrics. Focused on people getting into job with living, good wages that can support a family.

Director Roth discussed the DWDA structure, showing the organizational chart. Deputy Director
Kathy Byron noted that they are learning from businesses and younger generations on board
and the importance of sharing best practices. She is open to meeting with those who can
describe what they are looking for and the skills that are needed.

Director Roth reviewed some new divisions, such as Work-Based Learning, Business Engagement
Outreach, and Grants Development. Review VirginiaWorks.com as a source of information. Gaps in
the data driven activity have been identified, which will be addressed by seeking grants.
Secretary Slater says this group’s input after reviewing the site will be important. Please visit
local workforce center, ask questions, give impressions, report findings through the survey.

Director Roth encourages the group to let Kathy Byron know if there are people she should meet
with. New Virginians need to be considered, such as immigrants, making sure we are supporting
them; many are highly skilled and trained. Deputy Director Byron added that we the businesses

36
need to utilize the centers; it’s a discovery phase so we can build a plan for success. Slater
discussed expanding universal licensing for immigrants; create pathways to get into professions
of choice and professions of training.

Slater discussed the slide of the Path Forward, which includes four phases. Implementation of
success metrics, optimization process. Tentatively planning on Friday afternoon, January 26 for the
next meeting. Report is forthcoming.

Agenda topic: Public Comment

No one signed up for public comment.

Agenda topic: Q&A

Discussion highlights:

Discussion around a variety of topics, including internships, metrics, marketing, barriers, and
general suggestions from the body.

Agenda topic: Adjournment

No quorum

With no further business to discuss, meeting adjourned at 11:42 AM

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