Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations
Summary
This December 2025 review from the Virginia Office of Education Economics (VOEE) covers Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) programs aligned with the 2026 High Demand Occupations list. It states that Chapter 725 of the 2025 Virginia Acts of Assembly (Item 201) requires VOEE to make recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly on programs that qualify for G3 financial assistance, which the Virginia Community College System administers. The review lists Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician, Funeral Service and Mortuary Science; General, and Sterile Processing Technology/Technician as programs to be considered G3 eligible. It lists Family and Community Services and Physician Associate/Assistant as programs to be considered for removal, with no awards in academic year 2024-25.
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“Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations.”
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Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3)
Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand
Occupations
Overview
Chapter 725 of the 2025 Virginia Acts of Assembly (Item 201) requires the Virginia Office of Education
Economics (VOEE) to annually evaluate skills and training needed for Virginians to fill jobs available in
certified regional council areas. Based on the evaluation, VOEE is required to “make recommendations
to the Governor and General Assembly on what programs should be offered in each region that qualify
for financial assistance under the G3 [Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead] program” that is administered
by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS).
To complete this review, VOEE identified degree and certificate programs offered by VCCS that align to
jobs based on the 2026 High Demand Occupations list approved by the Virginia Board of Workforce
Development. VOEE then compared the programs to the list of currently approved G3 programs listed
in Item 201, Chapter 725 of the 2025 Virginia Acts of Assembly and identified the following:
Additional programs to be considered G3 eligible: Programs aligned to a 2026 high demand
occupation and are not currently eligible.
– This includes three programs: Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician, Funeral Service and
Mortuary Science; General, and Sterile Processing Technology/Technician.
G3 programs requiring technical adjustment: Programs that require a technical update to their
reference in the eligibility list.
– This includes two programs: Forensic Science and Technology and Veterinary/Animal Health
Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant.
G3 programs to be considered for removal: Programs that are currently G3 eligible but are not
aligned with a 2026 high demand occupation. These programs had no awards in academic year
(AY) 2024-25.
– This includes two programs: Family and Community Services and Physician Associate/Assistant.
The following report provides an overview of the methodology used to review programs eligible for G3
funding and recommendations for programs to add, remove, and technically adjust. In addition, VOEE
identified several programs that require further review to better assess their eligibility. VOEE will review
these programs in the coming year in partnership with VCCS and additional stakeholders to determine
if they should be included in a future report.
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Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations
December 2025
Methodology
The methodology to identify and recommend degree and certificate programs offered through G3
included several sources of data and analysis.
Identification of Jobs Needed in Virginia
The determination of jobs needed in Virginia is based on occupations identified as high demand by the
Virginia Board of Workforce Development (the Workforce Board). The most recent high demand
occupations were approved in December 2025 for the 2026-2027 biennium. This list is commonly
referred to as the 2026 High Demand Occupations list. Occupations are categorized based on their
Standard Occupation Code (SOC) as determined by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The 2026 High Demand Occupations list is based on the following criteria:
Occupation growth at stable or higher (-0.5% and higher from 2025-2030), and
At least 100 average openings, and
Typical entry-level education at or below a bachelor’s degree, and
Median annual earnings of at least $31,300, or
At least 10 apprenticeships initiated since 2020
Based on the initial criteria list above, one occupation, bookkeeping, had declining growth but a
significantly high number of openings. As a result, the Workforce Board approved an exception for this
occupation and maintained it on the 2026 High Demand Occupations list.
To identify jobs available in certified council regions, VOEE used the nine certified Growth and
Opportunity (GO) Virginia regions. A full list of cities and counties included in these regions is available
on the GO Virginia website.
Identification of degree and certificate programs offered by VCCS
Degree and certificate programs are categorized by the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)
code as determined by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). VOEE reviewed VCCS
enrollment and awards data provided by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
based on their CIP code. In addition, VOEE reviewed degree and certificate programs that are
approved by SCHEV to be offered by VCCS. This list is maintained on the research.schev.edu website
and is commonly referred to as the degree inventory. As a note, for the purposes of this review, VOEE
focused on degree and certificate programs. VOEE is in the process of working with SCHEV and VCCS
to further review programs aligned through the Workforce Credential Grant program (branded as
FastForward by VCCS). These credentials are required to align with high demand fields as specified in
§23.1-627.3 of the Code of Virginia.
Alignment of degree and certificate programs to high demand occupations
To align degree and certificate programs with high demand occupations, VOEE applied a modified
version of the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk. This crosswalk starts with the CIP-SOC mappings from
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Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations
December 2025
NCES and adds additional program-to-occupation links for production occupations (SOC group 51)
based on a framework developed by Lightcast, a labor market analytics partner.
Once the programs were mapped to high demand occupations, VOEE identified programs to be
considered for addition to the G3 program based on the following criteria: (1) they are not currently
eligible for G3 funding, (2) they are aligned to a 2026 high demand occupation, (3) they have a typical
entry-level education of more than a high school diploma and less than a bachelor’s degree, and (4)
they had awards or enrollments in academic year (AY) 2024-25. Programs were then reviewed if they
are currently listed as G3 eligible but did not meet the additional criteria as 2026 high demand, typical
entry-level education requirements, or enrollments or awards in AY 2024-25.
VOEE then reviewed the analysis and programs with VCCS staff to gain additional input.
Recommendations
Additional Programs to be Considered G3 Eligible
VOEE recommends that three programs be considered for addition: Aircraft Powerplant
Technology/Technician; Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General; and Sterile Processing
Technology/Technician. These programs are aligned with a 2026 high demand occupation but are not
currently offered under the G3 program. Table 1 provides the program name and its CIP code, total
annual awards in AY 2024-25, the aligned 2026 high demand occupation and its SOC code, the typical
entry-level education, and the projected annual job openings and growth of the occupation.
Table 1
Additional Programs to be Considered G3 Eligible
Projected
Aligned 2026 Avg. Annual
High Demand Typical Entry- Job Projected
All Awards Occupation level Openings Growth %
Program (CIP) AY 2024-25* (SOC) Education (2025-30) (2025-30)
Aircraft Powerplant 9 Aircraft Postsecondary 567 2.7
Technology/Technician Mechanics and nondegree
(47.0608) Service award
Technicians (49-
3011)
Funeral Service and 69 Morticians, Associate’s 109 5.5
Mortuary Science, Undertakers, degree
General (12.0301) and Funeral
Arrangers (39-
4031)
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Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations
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Sterile Processing 2 Surgical Postsecondary 168 4.3
Technology/Technician Technologists nondegree
(51.1012) (29-2055) award
*Individuals must meet several requirements to be eligible for G3 funding, including an income threshold of no
more than 400% of the federal poverty threshold and a course load minimum of 6 credit hours. The award totals
serve as a reference for the current program size. The fiscal impact of adding these programs would need to be
estimated by VCCS based on the enrollment of G3 eligible students.
Two of the programs, Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician and Sterile Processing
Technology/Technician have similar existing G3 programs that align with the same high demand
occupation. This includes Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician and
Surgical Technology/Technologist. See Appendix A for data related to community colleges offering or
approved to provide these programs, similar existing G3 programs that are aligned, and job opening
projections based on the GO Virginia regions.
G3 Programs Requiring Technical Adjustment
The Forensic Science and Technology and Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and
Veterinary Assistant programs are suggested for technical adjustment. The associated CIP codes for
these G3 programs listed in the budget are currently aligned with the 2010 CIP taxonomy and should
be updated to reflect the 2020 CIP taxonomy as published by the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES). VCCS issued the respective awards in AY 2024-25 under the 2020 CIP code.
Table 2
G3 Programs Requiring a Technical Adjustment
Program 2010 CIP 2020 CIP
Forensic Science and Technology 43.0106 43.0406
Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant 51.0808 01.8301
G3 Programs to be Considered for Removal
VOEE identified two G3 programs for consideration for removal: Family and Community Services and
Physician Assistant/Associate. These programs are aligned to occupations that have a typical entry-
level education of a master’s degree, which are not included as part of the 2026 high demand
occupations criteria. In addition, there were no awards for these programs in AY 2024-25, and the
programs are not listed in the degree inventory provided by SCHEV.
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Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations
December 2025
Table 3
Programs to be Considered for Removal
Projected Avg.
Annual Job
Aligned Typical Entry-level Openings (2025- Projected Growth
Program (CIP) Occupation (SOC) Education 30) % (2025-30)
Family and Farm and Home Master’s degree 57 -1.0
Community Services Management
(19.0707) Educators (25-
9021)
Physician Physician Assistant Master’s degree 407 16.0
Associate/Assistant (29-1071)
(51.0912)
Next Steps
The programs included in this report serve as recommendations by VOEE based on the alignment of
the program to the 2026 High Demand Occupations list that was approved by the Virginia Board for
Workforce Development; however, the determination of whether a program is included as G3 eligible is
determined by the General Assembly as stated in Item 201, Chapter 725 of the 2025 Virginia Acts of
Assembly (D.2.a): “All additions and changes to the eligible high-demand fields for which programs may
be offered pursuant to this item shall be approved by the General Assembly prior to implementation.”
The VOEE analysis does not include other factors that may impact the determination of the General
Assembly, such as funding availability. VOEE staff are available to provide any additional support and
analysis to General Assembly members and staff to facilitate final determinations.
Finally, VOEE staff identified several programs that needed additional study due to additional factors
that ranged from programs that aligned to a high demand occupation, but do not have any enrollments
or awards, to programs that do not directly map to a high demand occupation but appear to meet high
demand needs. VOEE discussed these programs with staff at VCCS. VCCS and VOEE will review
these programs in the coming year to determine whether they should be considered in the next annual
review.
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Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations
December 2025
Appendix A: Additional Data Related to Programs to be Considered as G3
Eligible
The following tables include data related to the three additional programs to be considered as G3
eligible, including the aligned high demand occupation, the institutions offering the program or approved
to offer the program, existing similar G3 programs aligned to the same occupation, and select labor
market information by GO Virginia regions for the respective occupation.
Tables 4 and 5 relate to the Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician program. Tables 6 and 7 relate
to the Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General program. Tables 8 and 9 relate to the Sterile
Processing Technology/Technician program.
Table 4
Institutions Offering Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician or a Similar Existing G3 Program
Aligned 2026 High Institutions Offering
All Awards Demand Occupation Program or Approved to
Program (CIP) AY 2024-25* (SOC) Offer Program
Program to be considered: Aircraft 9 Aircraft Mechanics and Blue Ridge (9 awards),
Powerplant Technology/Technician Service Technicians (49- Danville (approved)
(47.0608) 3011)
Existing similar G3 approved 18 Aircraft Mechanics and Blue Ridge (18 awards),
program: Airframe Mechanics and Service Technicians (49- Danville (approved)
Aircraft Maintenance 3011)
Technology/Technician (46.0707)
Table 5
Labor Market Information Aligned to Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians by GO Virginia Region
Projected Growth % Projected Avg. Annual
GO Virginia Region 2025 Jobs (2025-30) Openings (2025-30)
Region 1 120 -2.88 10
Region 2 229 2.35 19
Region 3 81 -0.76 6
Region 4 593 0.13 46
Region 5 2,939 -6.24% 225
Region 6 158 -0.75% 13
Region 7 2,382 4.85% 206
Region 8 179 6.78% 16
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Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations
December 2025
Region 9 126 6.70% 12
Statewide 6,911 2.68 567
Table 6
Institutions Offering Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General or a Similar Existing G3 Program
Aligned 2026 High Institutions Offering
All Awards Demand Occupation Program or Approved to
Program (CIP) AY 2024-25* (SOC) Offer Program
Funeral Service and Mortuary 69 Morticians, Undertakers, Brightpoint (57 awards),
Science, General (12.0301) and Funeral Arrangers Tidewater (12 awards)
(39-4031)
No similar programs authorized as
G3 eligible
Table 7
Labor Market Information Aligned to Funeral and Mortuary Science, General by GO Virginia Region
Projected Growth % Projected Avg. Annual
GO Virginia Region 2025 Jobs (2025-30) Openings (2025-30)
Region 1 80 14.09 12
Region 2 128 5.67 17
Region 3 46 0.53 6
Region 4 116 5.02 15
Region 5 99 3.32 12
Region 6 30 7.85 4
Region 7 80 -0.11 10
Region 8 48 3.30 6
Region 9 34 11.30 5
Statewide 665 5.55 109
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Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations
December 2025
Table 8
Institutions Offering Sterile Processing Technology/Technician or a Similar Existing G3 Program
Aligned 2026 High Institutions Offering
All Awards Demand Occupation Program or Approved to
Program (CIP) AY 2024-25* (SOC) Offer Program
Program to be considered: Sterile 2 Surgical Technologists Reynolds (2 awards)
Processing Technology/Technician (29-2055)
(51.1012)
Existing similar G3 approved 32 Surgical Technologists Reynolds (approved),
program: Surgical Technology/ (29-2055) Virginia Western
Technologist (51.0909) (approved), Piedmont (7),
Laurel Ridge (11), Virginia
Western (14), Northern
Virginia (approved), Bright
Point (approved)
Table 9
Labor Market Information Aligned to Sterile Processing Technology/Technician by GO Virginia Region
Projected Growth % Projected Avg. Annual
GO Virginia Region 2025 Jobs (2025-30) Openings (2025-30)
Region 1 <10 - 1
Region 2 297 5.29 21
Region 3 24 12.49 2
Region 4 498 2.13 32
Region 5 585 1.87 37
Region 6 78 -0.27 5
Region 7 605 8.83 46
Region 8 156 3.19 10
Region 9 151 -2.94 9
Statewide 2,457 4.30 168
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Review of Get Skilled, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) Programs Aligned with 2026 High Demand Occupations
December 2025
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