RD114 - Annual Report on the Workforce Development Services


Executive Summary:
This annual report illustrates the Virginia Community College System’s impact on workforce development during the 2003-2004 fiscal year. Its mission to prepare a well-trained workforce is steeped in a tradition of service to communities, to employers and to the employed, underemployed and unemployed.

The tradition of service underscored the ability of the system’s 23 colleges to collectively assist with more than 12,000 community and economic development activities and to contribute more than 34,694 staff hours of service to Workforce Investment Boards and One Stop Centers.

As a strong link in the Commonwealth’s workforce development system, the colleges provided customized employee training and services for 769 employers and enabled individuals to complete 80,597 non-credit courses and 35,691 customized credit courses to gain the skills, certifications and licenses needed for successful employment. Of these, about 20,000 participated in distance education courses. The colleges also comprise one of the strongest ACT WorkKeys systems in the nation, having conducted more than 24,293 WorkKeys assessments and 80 WorkKeys Job Profiles.

Colleges used Tech Prep, Post-Secondary Perkins, Middle College and Apprenticeship Related Instruction to create career pathway programs based on access, employer-driven training, and career development. More than 2,000 employers participated in these initiatives. The Institutes of Excellence began collaborating with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership on a statewide industry, occupation and skills cluster analysis which will be completed in 2005. The analysis will be used to more closely align education and economic development.

As you review the annual report, take a moment to picture the people served by workforce development services. They most likely include you or your neighbors, co-workers, family, friends and employer. Each person served represents the economic health of the Commonwealth.