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Virginia Community Colleges President David Dore recently announced a new approach to increasing the talent pipeline in the workforce. This has the potential to uplift the people of Hampton Roads by directly impacting the business community.
Virginia faces a well-publicized skills gap, with approximately 249,000 unfilled jobs. This workforce disparity is exacerbated by Virginia’s consistent net negative migration over the past nine years and the impending decline in K-12 enrollment over the next several years.
There are 3.2 million Virginians without a post-secondary education qualification. For many Virginians, the best way to land a good job is to attend one of Virginia’s 23 community colleges. There are four community colleges in the region, from Chesapeake to Eastern Shore to Williamsburg, and it’s easier than ever to access and attend one of these colleges.
Although Virginia’s community colleges serve all Virginians, a key population is adult learners seeking to skill, reskill, or upskill. Many of these adult learners are known as ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed). This is a United Way term referring to the working class, who are often one paycheck away from economic instability.
In their dual roles as drivers of economic mobility for individuals and employees and answers to workforce challenges, Virginia’s community colleges are reorganizing and leveraging resources to address the region’s critical business needs. We are proceeding with revitalization.
For students, this means earning industry certifications through FastForward, a pay-for-performance, short-term career training program. The program will pay her one-third of her tuition fees and support the rest with a grant. Training courses focus on high-demand careers with local connections. This program works. Recent data shows that students who completed the program saw their wages increase by an average of $11,746.
Another program, G3, gives low- and moderate-income students who want to earn an applied associate’s degree access to education in in-demand professions. This tuition assistance program is a last resort. After federal and state aid is applied, the funds will cover the remaining tuition. According to the latest data, a G3 graduate’s median wage increased by 95% within six months of graduation.
Our community college seeks to expand the talent pipeline into industries such as health care, skilled trades, and energy in Hampton Roads. To bring more workers into the pipeline, training programs must be innovated, scaled, and promoted.
As an example, Dominion Energy and its offshore wind farms are expected to support 1,100 direct and indirect full-time jobs across the region, with salaries and benefits of $82 million. In addition to supporting CDL training, Tidewater Community College has expanded its Skilled Trades Academy with a welding booth, maritime training equipment, and additional HVAC and electrical training space. Expanding these short-term training programs will lead to long-term industry growth.
With 81% of graduates living and working in Virginia, community colleges are in the best position to prepare Virginians for the jobs available today. However, while it is the most affordable higher education option in Virginia, it also has the lowest funding. In Virginia, for every dollar we support students at public universities, we invest just 57 cents in one community college student.
To effectively compete with neighboring states like North Carolina and Tennessee, which are making record investments in community colleges, Virginia needs to make similar investments. A recent study by Rightcast, the national leader in labor market data for higher education institutions, confirms that the money invested in Virginia’s community colleges is yielding strong returns.
Lightcast says, “The total social benefits of VCCS represent a present value of $18.7 billion. These benefits include $12.6 billion in additional student revenue, $4.7 billion in additional business revenue, It includes $1.1 billion in additional revenue from activities, plus $319.7 million in social savings related to Virginia’s health, justice system, and income assistance.”
With additional funding, the region’s community colleges (Tidewater, Eastern Shore, Camp, and Virginia Peninsula) will further their success by expanding cutting-edge programs, increasing the supply of skilled workers, and meeting industry needs. You can keep building. our area.
Peggy Lane of Chesapeake serves as chair of the Virginia Community Colleges State Board of Trustees. She previously worked at Dominion Energy for 40 years.
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