RD438 - Virginia Workforce Council 2012-2013 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
It is my honor and privilege to present the 2012-2013 Annual Report on behalf of the Virginia Workforce Council (VWC).

This has been a year of great challenge and triumph. In accordance with the Code of Virginia, the VWC advises the Governor on workforce training needs. With successful legislative reforms that were enacted following the 2013 General Assembly Session, the VWC has been reenergized and has taken on an even stronger role in the workforce system at large, including Career and Technical Education and Workforce Programs targeted to Virginians from middle school to retirement age.

The VWC partnered with the Council on Virginia’s Future to establish the Virginia Workforce System Report Card to provide state and regional data on outcomes in the areas of STEM-H Pipeline Development, College and Career Readiness, Secondary and Postsecondary Credential Attainment, Employment and Training Capacity.

http://www.vaperforms.virginia.gov/extras/WorkforceReportCard.php

It seemed fitting that the Report Card should serve as the framework for this Annual Report.

In keeping with the theme of the Report Card, this Annual Report showcases real life stories that contribute to the success of each of the following goals:

1. Increase the number of students with science, technology, engineering, math and healthcare skills.

2. Enable all students, including at-risk students, to complete high school and prepare for college.

3. Increase the number of students entering college and earning degrees, certifications, licenses and apprenticeships.

4. Increase student readiness for both postsecondary education and the workplace.

5. Reduce unemployment and increase both employment and income.

6. Increase credentials and enrollment in manufacturing-related programs; improve the reach of manufacturing instruction and overall employment.

Also included in this Annual Report is a Scorecard account of the state’s performance under the Workforce Investment Act measures, along with a progress report on the Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) as a credential that the VWC supports.

Performance measures for the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title I programs are established in Section 136 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The U.S. Secretary of Labor provides further guidance on the calculation of the measures. The VWC is working to establish additional state measures related to credential attainment, costs per participant, return on investment and customer satisfaction. The interactive scorecard ( https://bi.vita.virginia.gov/VCCS_WIA/rdPage.aspx) has been updated with 2012 data. Work is in progress to provide reporting on a quarterly basis on the performance measures and the resources allocated to the Local Workforce Investment Areas to support the associated activities.

The numbers of CRC customers continue to grow to certify the workplace readiness skills of Virginians. The CRC, issued by Virginia and based on ACT’s WorkKeys® assessments – Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information – is a portable, evidence-based credential that provides individuals a workplace skills certification that employers can use to make reliable decisions on hiring and training. By putting the right people in the right jobs, businesses can be more productive and profitable.

Community colleges, paired with their local WIB and One-Stops Centers, improved partnerships with businesses, enhanced outreach efforts and saw increases in the number of CRCs achieved from the previous year. In FY2013, Virginia awarded approximately 10,327 CRCs, representing an 8% increase over the previous year. This number includes self-reported additions to the number reported from the Virginia CRC database. Over the lifetime of this program, over 56,000 Virginians have received a CRC.

National Career Ready Certificate: With direction from the VWC, the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Workforce Development Services investigated the challenges and opportunities to transition from the Virginia CRC to a co-branded National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). The NCRC, issued by ACT, is based on the same three WorkKeys® assessments as Virginia’s CRC. Being part of the national system affords the number of CRCs attained in Virginia to be included in the ACT’s database and presented on ACT’s website, ease in recognizing the Virginia CRC across state lines; and addition of a Platinum level above the Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels. In negotiations with ACT for a statewide changeover to a co-branded NCRC, the VCCS was mindful of the increased costs for the NCRC and the obstacles for including valuable documentation on the certificate itself. This year, the VCCS implemented the co-branded NCRC for the Southern Virginia region to enable this region to move forward with ACT’s Certified Work Ready Communities. The value of co-branding the NCRC will be monitored in the coming year.

CRC Attainment for WIA Customers: In November 2012, the VWC voted to require the increase in attainment of the CRCs by WIA customers incrementally as follows: 12% in FY2013, 18% FY2014, and 25% by FY2015. In setting this new goal, the Council considered the challenges of increasing the CRC attainment, identified strategies to overcome any barriers, and acknowledged promising practices in local WIBs to increase CRC attainment among WIA participants.

15 Local Workforce Investment Areas (LWIAs) in Virginia awarded 3,275 CRCs in FY 2013, a 117% increase over the prior year attainment of 1,509 CRCs. The CRC attainment among the FY2013 participants is 27.73%. This includes 1,866 CRCs awarded in FY2013 and 1,409 CRCs that were awarded last year but were included because these participants are still active WIA customers.

ACT’s Certified Work Ready Community is Launched in Southern Virginia: In mid-June, 2013, Southern Virginia entered into a demonstration project to take the challenge of measuring the basic work skill sets of its workforce and positioning the region to earn the designation of Certified Work Ready Community (CWRC). Southern Virginia has engaged with ACT in an economic development and data driven, community-based workforce development framework and certification process to provide consistent criteria, performance metrics and third-party validation for what constitutes the region as a certified work ready community.

Based on county-level education, employment rates, and population data, ACT set common goals to be met by the region for the designation of “work ready.” These common goals include 2,311 emerging, transitioning and current workers earning the National Career Readiness Certificates (NCRC) and 287 employers recognizing, preferring or recommending the NCRC as a part of their hiring process. While ambitious, Southern Virginia is attempting to earn the CWRC designation by July 1, 2014.

In closing, we would like to recognize former VWC Chair, Mr. Huey Battle, who served for the first half of this performance year. Huey’s stewardship played a key role in the success reflected in this Report.

Respectfully submitted:

R. Danny Vargas
Chair