Preliminary Report: Improving the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Virginia’s Workforce Development System
Summary
Secretary of Labor's preliminary report to the Governor and the General Assembly of Virginia, Senate Document No. 4, 2024, on recommendations for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the workforce development system. It describes the vision for Virginia Works, the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement, which the agency stand-up section says was established on July 1, 2023, and lists guiding principles including a "no wrong door" approach. The report sets out agency planning, stand-up and success activities, and mentions a Commonwealth-wide Workforce Town Hall with over 300 attendees. A final report of recommendations is to be delivered in June of 2025.
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“Preliminary Report: Improving the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Virginia’s Workforce Development System.”
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REPORT OF THE VIRGINIA
SECRETARY OF LABOR
Preliminary Report on
Recommendations for Improving
the Effectiveness and Efficiency of
Virginia’s Workforce Development
System (Chapter 625, 2023)
TO THE GOVERNOR AND
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF VIRGINIA
SENATE DOCUMENT NO. 4
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
RICHMOND
2024
Secretary of Labor’s Preliminary
Report on Recommendations for
Improving the Effectiveness and
Efficiency of Virginia’s Workforce
Development System
Per Virginia Code Chapter 624
Enactment Clause Item 9
Table of Contents
Enabling Legislation ............................................................................................................................... 2
Background (i. Adequacy of Collaboration among Workforce Programs) ........................................... 2
The Vision for Virginia Works (ii. The Organization, Powers, and Duties of the Department of
Workforce Development and Advancement) ........................................................................................... 2
Launching the Comprehensive Review (iii. The operations of the local workforce investment
boards and the geographic areas served by such boards; and (iv) the proper role of the Virginia
Community College System in supporting workforce development efforts) ......................................... 5
1
Enabling Legislation
Session Chapter 624 Enactment Clause Item 9:
That the Secretary of Labor shall conduct a comprehensive review of the Commonwealth's
workforce development programs and provide recommendations to address a wide range of
subjects relating to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of such programs, including (i) the
adequacy of collaboration among such programs; (ii) the organization, powers, and duties of the
Department of Workforce Development and Advancement, established pursuant to §2.2-2035 of
the Code of Virginia, as created by this act; (iii) the operations of the local workforce investment
boards and the geographic areas served by such boards; and (iv) the proper role of the Virginia
Community College System in supporting workforce development efforts. The Secretary of
Labor shall submit a preliminary report to the Governor and the General Assembly by November
30, 2023. The final report shall be submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly by June
30, 2025.
Background (i. Adequacy of Collaboration among Workforce Programs)
Historically, Virginia’s workforce development ecosystem has operated in fragmented, siloed,
and reactive ways instead of taking a coordinated, forward-looking, and dynamic approach to
fulfill the needs of Virginia’s employers and workforce, today and in the future. Prior to the 2023
General Assembly, Governor Glenn Youngkin and Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater prioritized the
modernization and enhancement of the many disparate components of workforce development
in Virginia, starting with alignment of a broad group of stakeholders around a shared definition
of what “workforce development” means for the Commonwealth. This effort shaped the vision
for Virginia Works (aka the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement, Virginia’s
new workforce agency) and, thanks to the support and help of the General Assembly, the
passage of bipartisan legislation to create the agency and mandate the coordination and
performance measurement of workforce development programs across the Commonwealth
(both those within the agency – WIOA Title I job-seeker services, apprenticeships, rapid
response programs, and more – and those which reside in other state agencies – WIOA Title II
(adult education – DOE), G3 & other programs at VCCS, and more). With the agency established
on July 1, 2023, Virginia’s efforts to coordinate a truly cohesive hub-and-spoke ecosystem model
for workforce development, with Virginia Works as its backbone.
The Vision for Virginia Works (ii. The Organization, Powers, and Duties of the
Department of Workforce Development and Advancement)
Virginia’s NATION LEADING workforce ecosystem will equip Virginians with the skills they need
and enables employers to ATTRACT, GROW, AND RETAIN them – ensuring the future of a
thriving Commonwealth. In parallel with the stand-up of Virginia Works, we will accelerate the
COORDINATION, ENHANCEMENT, AND FUTURE-READINESS of the Commonwealth’s many
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workforce programs and stakeholders across the government and broader ecosystem through a
formal process.
The Guiding Principles of Virginia Works
• Coordinated service delivery that is easily accessible
to all Virginians
• Best-in-class centralized data collection to inform
decision-making
• Agile, innovative, and responsive system and programs to address both the state and
local workforce needs
• Consistent, transparent, and standardized metrics to measure program success
• Single entry point, “no wrong door” approach to connect employers and job seekers to
opportunities
• Responsive to employer and job seeker needs – customer-focused in every way
• Business and industry involved in training and curriculum development
Agency Stand-Up Activities
The establishment of the DWDA, including the transition of people, programs, services, and
systems, is taking place over three distinct phases and will run through FY 2025. They include:
A detailed implementation plan, inclusive of major milestones and associated activities, was
developed with leadership and key stakeholders, and is refined regularly as needed, and tracked
in a project management tool.
3
Agency Planning (COMPLETE)
• Conducted a baseline data call to inform understanding of the people, programs,
services, and systems moving to the new agency.
• Developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to outline the roles and
responsibilities of key agency activities to maintain continuity of operations.
• Hosted numerous visioning sessions and designed the Implementation,
Communications, and Change Management Plans for the transitioning agencies and
programs for an efficient shift to the new agency.
• Stood up agency transition workstreams to facilitate program-specific activities.
• Launched Stakeholder Advisory Group to convene quarterly and advise on the process of
establishing the agency for its long-term success.
Agency Stand Up (UNDERWAY)
• Transition people, programs, services, and systems to the new agency to facilitate
program service delivery continuity. (Complete)
• Hold monthly employee town halls and other engagement opportunities to encourage
two-way dialogue on staff questions and share input on key decisions like the agency’s
Virginia Works logo.
• Work with the transition workstream leads to identify and refine agency-specific
standard operating procedures and upcoming activities. (Complete)
• Develop an organizational design of the DWDA that includes the proposed span of
control and reflects the agency’s strategic objectives and operating model. (Complete)
• Implement the change management activities to cultivate the DWDA culture and provide
resources for employees pre-, during, and post- transition.
• Begin the design of a single workforce technology hub 2.0 that serves as a single-entry
point for customers.
• Discover all programs Commonwealth-wide that are associated with workforce
development.
Agency Success (UNDERWAY)
• Launch process reviews and improvement sprints across the agency, with the goal that
outcomes are owned and driven forward by staff.
• Refine and support the implementation of success metrics for each workforce
development program across the agency and Commonwealth-wide.
• Support and drive the measurement of improvements across all workforce programs.
• Design future-state service delivery model for workforce development across the
Commonwealth.
• Launch an integrated, intentional communications strategy around Virginia Works to
ensure awareness across all customers and stakeholders.
• Train and coach personnel as needed to drive improved program outcomes.
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As Virginia Works continues its implementation journey, this plan will be updated, and dates,
milestones, and other activities may change.
Launching the Comprehensive Review (iii. The operations of the local
workforce investment boards and the geographic areas served by such boards; and (iv) the
proper role of the Virginia Community College System in supporting workforce
development efforts)
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 begin tracking key performance indicators across them. See figure
below to view the current state of workforce development programs across the Commonwealth.
A comprehensive list of workforce-related programs – in addition to those displayed above –
has been assembled with the help of many across Secretariats (see next page). A call for
involvement was made across Secretariats and agencies at a Commonwealth-wide Workforce
Town Hall hosted this past December, where an overview of performance metrics and a timeline
for reporting were discussed with over 300 attendees. The list of Commonwealth-wide
workforce programs continues to evolve as programs are identified and, going forward, will
serve as a living catalog or “ecosystem map” of the Commonwealth’s investments and areas of
focus for workforce development, supporting data-driven decisions around how to scale and
enhance what’s working well.
5
Secretariat Agency Program Name
Commerce and Trade VEDP Advanced Manufacturing Talent Investment Program and Fund Pilot
Commerce and Trade VEDP Talent Accelerator Program
Commerce and Trade VEDP Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP)
Commerce and Trade VIPC Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing
Commerce and Trade VIPC Cyber Security Institute
Commerce and Trade VCEDA Workforce Development Training Fund
Commerce and Trade DHCD Growth and Opportunity Fund (GO Virginia)
Education DOE Adult Education
Education DOE Perkins
Education DOE Work Based Learning Coordinators
Education DOE Virginia Space Grant Consortium
Education VCCS Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back (G3) Innovation and Program Grants
Education VCCS Institutes of Excellence for Non-Credit Training and Instruction
Education VCCS Postsecondary Career and Technical Educations (PERKINS)
Education SCHEV New Economy Workforce Credential Grant (aka FastForward)
Education SCHEV Innovative Internship Program
Education SVHEC SVHEC Workforce Training Programs
Finance VEDP Tech Talent Investment
Health and Human Resources VDH CNA Nursing Scholarships
Health and Human Resources VDH Earn to Learn Nursing Education Acceleration Program
Health and Human Resources VDH MMNSP Nursing Scholarships, LPN & RN
Health and Human Resources VDH Nurse Educator Nursing Scholarships
Health and Human Resources VDH Nursing Preceptor Incentive Program
Health and Human Resources VDH Nursing Scholarships Long-Term facility (CAN, LPN, RN)
Health and Human Resources VDH Nursing Scholarships Nurse Practitioner / Nurse Mid-Wife
Health and Human Resources DSS Refugee Resettlement
Health and Human Resources DSS Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T)
Health and Human Resources DSS Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare (VIEW)
Health and Human Resources DARS Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
Health and Human Resources DARS State General Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program
Health and Human Resources DARS Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center (WWRC)
Health and Human Resources DBVI Vocational Rehabilitation Program
Labor DWDA Employment Service Program
Labor DWDA Foreign Labor Certification
Labor DWDA Hampton Roads Skilled Trades Rapid On-ramp Network for Growth (HR STRONG)
Labor DWDA HR Strong
Labor DWDA Jobs for Veterans (JVSG)
Labor DWDA Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA)
Labor DWDA Registered Apprenticeship
Labor DWDA Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
Labor DWDA WIOA Adult
Labor DWDA WIOA Dislocated Worker
Labor DWDA WIOA Youth
Labor DWDA Work Opportunity Tax Credit
Natural and Historic Resources VMRC Waterman's Apprentice Program
Public Safety DOC Career and Technical Education (Vocational)
Public Safety DOC Apprenticeship
Public Safety DOC Work Certifications
Public Safety DFP Training and Professional Development
Public Safety DJJ Workforce Development initiative
Transportation DMV Drive to Work
Transportation DPRT DRPT Workforce Development - Transportation
Veterans and Defense Affairs DVS Military Education & Workforce Initiative (MEWI)
Veterans and Defense Affairs DVS Military Medics and Corpsman Program (MMAC)
Veterans and Defense Affairs DVS State Approving Agency OJT/ Apprenticeship
Veterans and Defense Affairs DVS Virginia Values Veterans (V3)
6
As part of this effort, programs are being categorized by what they do (training, job placement,
business services, other supportive services) and who they support (individuals or employers)
and each program has been asked to name a data owner who will be responsible for sharing
relevant program data to support metrics reporting (see 6 key performance metrics below). The
data intake process has been launched and will be refined on a quarterly basis over the course
of this year.
The success of the Virginia Works ecosystem depends upon a thoughtful, measurable, and
outcome-oriented approach to strategic planning and a coordinated and thorough review of the
programs and service delivery mechanisms that support Virginia’s employers and jobseekers at
every level. Between now and June 30, 2025, each step in this process will support the
development of recommendations and a strategic plan to realize the vision for a truly next-gen
service-delivery model for workforce development across the Commonwealth.
Over the next 18 months, the Secretary’s Office and the Virginia Works team will:
1. Build the most up-to-date view and analysis of performance, operational structure and
operating models, customer experience, technology, physical experience and footprint,
and service delivery approaches across each of Virginia’s 14 local workforce development
areas and American Job Centers, identifying opportunities to scale what works,
strengthen common approaches, fill any gaps, and understand acute local and regional
workforce needs.
2. Incorporate an understanding of the role of the Virginia Community College (VCCS)
across workforce development efforts Commonwealth-wide and opportunities to
enhance its coordination as part of the Virginia Works ecosystem.
3. Identify opportunities for enhancement and innovation within the comprehensive
American Job Center (AJC) service delivery model to produce a truly unified and
consistent “no wrong door” customer experience, enabled by Virginia Works.
4. Identify leading-edge innovations and other opportunities that Virginia may consider in
future to scale a nation-leading workforce system, based on best practices across the US
and internationally.
5. Identify opportunities to improve collaboration between the state and local workforce
development boards to increase impact.
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6. Build and scale approaches to sector strategies, beginning with healthcare, that focus on
regional models and public-private partnerships.
These six steps, in addition to continued agency stand-up and process improvement efforts that
contribute to the complete vision for the future state Virginia Works service delivery model, will
form the basis for the comprehensive review and the final report of recommendations to be
delivered in June of 2025.
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