The Virginia Office of Education Economics’ Research Agenda for Fiscal Year 2026

Summary

This report details the annual research agenda for the Virginia Office of Education Economics (VOEE), within the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), for Fiscal Year 2026, in accordance with Chapter 725 of the 2025 Acts of Assembly. It states that between September 2023 and July 2024 VOEE published six distinct dashboards on its website, and that VOEE expanded its team this past year, adding two analysts and an executive assistant. It describes six related workstreams for FY26, including completing tasks assigned in Code and budget language, with a key task of working with the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to develop the 2026 High Demand Occupations List, and providing data for the Virginia Has Jobs website.

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The Virginia Office of Education Economics’
Research Agenda for Fiscal Year 2026
In accordance with Item 113 L.3., Chapter 725 of the 2025 Acts of Assembly, this report details the
annual research agenda for the Virginia Office of Education Economics (VOEE), within the Virginia
Economic Development Partnership (VEDP).


Background
VOEE serves as a pivotal resource for state-administered education and workforce programs by
providing data, dashboards, analyses, and other resources to inform policy and practice at the
intersection of education and workforce development. A diverse group of stakeholders, including the
Governor and the General Assembly, looks to VOEE as a guide as they make strategic investments in
current and future education and workforce training programs.

The mission of VOEE centers around higher education and workforce alignment. With a focus on data,
VOEE is tasked with providing unified, consistent, and impartial information. VOEE operates at the
intersection of two closely related but distinct worlds, enhancing collaboration among state agencies,
educational institutions, and industry partners. As part of the Virginia Economic Development
Partnership (VEDP), VOEE also seeks to align research initiatives with the state's economic growth
objectives, ensuring that education and workforce programs contribute to broader economic
development goals. In partnership with other talent-focused teams at VEDP, VOEE plays a critical role
in the Commonwealth’s talent-related initiatives.


Purpose of the Research Agenda
VOEE collaborates with its Research Advisory Group to develop and report the annual research
agenda to the Governor and General Assembly on or before June 30th of each year. The current
Research Advisory Group comprises of the Secretaries of Education, Labor, and Commerce and
Trade; the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV); the Virginia Employment
Commission (VEC); the Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity Board (GO Virginia); the
Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (Virginia Works); and members of, or staff
to, the House Committee on Education, Senate Committee on Education and Health, House Committee
on Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations.

The purpose of the annual research agenda is to establish a clear focus for the Office's work in the
upcoming fiscal year and ensure that VOEE’s efforts align with and support current state education and



              VOEE Research Agenda for FY26                                                           1
              901 E Cary Street, Suite 900 | Richmond, Virginia 23219 | vedp.org
workforce development initiatives. The research agenda involves close collaboration with the Research
Advisory Group to support state and regional needs.


Notable Achievements through FY25
Over its first three years of existence, VOEE focused on building a robust data infrastructure and
developing tools to share data and analyses across the Commonwealth. Between September 2023 and
July 2024, VOEE published six distinct dashboards on its website. These user-friendly, interactive tools
allow stakeholders to engage with and visualize data related to higher education and workforce
demand.

In FY25, VOEE shifted its focus to higher-level analysis and disseminating insights more broadly.
VOEE’s key 2025 deliverables included:

▪ Reports and briefs based on the College and Career Outcomes Dataset
▪ A pilot Labor Market Profile in partnership with SCHEV for their program approval process
▪ Extensions to the Education and Workforce Alignment Dashboard and High Demand Occupations
  Dashboard

This past year, VOEE also expanded its team, adding two analysts and an executive assistant, and
developed its first annual outreach plan. Finally, VOEE began a multi-year project that maps credentials
to the existing High Demand Occupations List approved by the Virginia Board for Workforce
Development.


Looking Ahead to FY26
Moving into FY26, VOEE aims to build on and move beyond its foundational work. This will comprise of
six related, but distinct workstreams to inform policy and practice around education and workforce
alignment across the Commonwealth.


Stream 1: Complete tasks assigned to VOEE in Code and budget language and by other
agencies.
Objective: Support the Commonwealth by providing specific, assigned deliverables.

Rationale: VOEE’s first objective is to provide deliverables assigned by the Administration and General
Assembly.

Key Task for FY2026: Work with the Virginia Board of Workforce Development (VBWD) to develop the
2026 High Demand Occupations List.




              VOEE Research Agenda for FY26                                                            2
              901 E Cary Street, Suite 900 | Richmond, Virginia 23219 | vedp.org
Stream 2: Provide data, dashboards, analyses, and other resources to inform diverse audiences
about education and workforce alignment.
Objective: Support diverse stakeholders to make data-driven decisions with a variety of resources.

Rationale: VOEE is tasked with providing and visualizing data through easily accessible means.

Key Task for FY2026: Add credentials to the High Demand Occupations Dashboard.


Stream 3: Complete specific one-time and ongoing asks from stakeholders.
Objective: Provide customized data and analyses for stakeholders’ specific requests.

Rationale: Many stakeholders require data and analyses that are not publicly available on VOEE’s
website.

Key Task for FY2026: Provide data for the Virginia Has Jobs website.


Stream 4: Identify and execute new data and research opportunities.
Objective: Improve VOEE’s ability to answer questions about education and workforce alignment.

Rationale: To better serve the Commonwealth long term, VOEE must be proactive about identifying
opportunities for advancement and improvement.

Key Task for FY2026: Explore alternative measures of talent supply-to-demand.


Stream 5: Provide data and analyses to other VEDP teams.
Objective: Support VEDP’s efforts to develop talent solutions.

Rationale: As part of VEDP, VOEE’s mission includes supporting economic development.

Key Task for FY2026: Contribute data for VEDP’s talent playbooks.


Stream 6: Communicate about VOEE’s work with diverse audiences through a variety of
channels.
Objective: Engage new audiences and encourage existing audiences to use VOEE’s resources.

Rationale: VOEE must interact regularly with stakeholders to support data-driven decision making.

Key Task for FY2026: Develop a quarterly newsletter to update the Research Advisory Group and
other key stakeholders about VOEE’s work.




              VOEE Research Agenda for FY26                                                         3
              901 E Cary Street, Suite 900 | Richmond, Virginia 23219 | vedp.org
FY26 Major Planned Projects
Major planned projects and the associated work streams.

 Major Research Activity/ Project Name                                                 Related Work Stream
 1        Develop the High Demand Occupations List (2026) with                         1
          VBWD

 2        Identify High Demand Credentials                                             1 and 3

 3        Develop Client-Facing Program-of-Study Scorecard with                        1 and 3
          Virginia Works

 4        Develop Supply-Demand Gap Dashboard for the Skilled                          1 and 3
          Trades and Other Credentialed Occupations

 5        Develop a Skills Adjacency Model for Federal Workers with                    1
          Virginia Works

 6        Participate in the Revision and Administration of the Tech                   1
          Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

 7        Conduct Other Studies and Publish Reports

     7a   Publish a report based on the outcomes of graduates               from       4
          liberal arts programs

     7b   Publish the annual G3 report                                                 1

     7c   Conduct and publish CNA supply/demand gap analysis                           4

     7d   Conduct and publish an engineering talent retention study                    4

 8        Identify New Data and Research Methods

     8a   Identify new data sources and establish new data                             4
          agreements to supplement VOEE's existing data
          infrastructure (e.g., VLDS)

     8b   Identify opportunities for qualitative research (e.g., surveys)              4
          to supplement quantitative research.

     8c   Consider developing another dataset matching higher                          4
          education, UI, and professional social profile data

     8d   Conduct a study of the CIP-SOC crosswalk and develop                         4
          alternative measures of degree-to-demand

 9        Complete Other Projects

     9a   Provide data for the Virginia Has Jobs Website                               3

     9b   Provide data and analyses to support other VEDP teams,                       5
          including Talent Playbooks



                  VOEE Research Agenda for FY26                                                              4
                  901 E Cary Street, Suite 900 | Richmond, Virginia 23219 | vedp.org
 9c   Provide custom data and analyses for stakeholders                           3

10    Launch Communications Strategy

10a   Identify and establish new audiences and communications                     6
      channels using Salesforce and other resources

10b   Develop regular communications (e.g., newsletter) and                       6
      establish frequencies

10c   Revamp the VOEE website to better connect stakeholders                      6
      with VOEE resources

10d   Develop and deploy templates for content (e.g., occupational                6
      overviews, community college reports)

10e   Present at conferences, meetings, and other events with new                 6
      audiences




             VOEE Research Agenda for FY26                                            5
             901 E Cary Street, Suite 900 | Richmond, Virginia 23219 | vedp.org


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