RD18 - Virginia Board of Workforce Development 2015 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
We are pleased to present the 2015 Annual Report of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development. This report describes a subset of the Board’s activities that occurred between July 1,2014 - June 30, 2015.

This year, the Virginia Board of Workforce Development created a two-year strategic plan that sets out four strategic objectives, specifically addressing performance of the Board’s critical functions described in legislation enacted in 2015.

The plan describes four priority objectives, which include: identifying current and future workforce needs, and related training and credentialing requirements; recommending and supporting strategies to better prepare and match trained workers with available and emerging jobs; providing strategic direction to improve service delivery to both job seekers and employers; and improving alignment and performance of the workforce system.

To accomplish these goals, the Board has reorganized to establish four standing committees: Advanced Technology, Military Transition Assistance, WIOA, and Performance and Accountability. These changes have empowered the Board to focus its efforts on areas where it can effect change that leads to high-impact outcomes.

In Advanced Technology, we’re working to identify high priority demand occupations, and the skill sets and workforce requirements of Virginia’s strategic industry sectors like advanced manufacturing and IT comparing them with the supply of graduates and program completers coming out of our universities, community colleges, school divisions, and workforce development programs.

To better establish a sense of private sector demand, the VBWD initiated a project, led by the Virginia Employment Commission and supported by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and other partners to do a statewide 40,000 employer survey that will tell us much more about what industry is looking for in terms of skills and workforce credentials, such as certifications and licenses.

In the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Committee, we’re working to reimagine the state’s One Stop Career Centers, encourage more cross-agency partnerships and collaboration while assessing and improving service delivery for workforce services to job seekers and employers.

In Military Transition Assistance, we’re supporting increased expansion of Virginia’s successful Virginia Values Veterans V3 program, but also developing new ways to more efficiently connect businesses to veterans, a unique Virginia asset.

Finally, the Performance and Accountability Committee is working to measure overall system performance to goals, including the degree to which training is aligned with demand occupations. This group is also providing advice for the development of an annual workforce budget review process.

The Board has joined the Governor in endorsing a set of common performance measures, embedding these metrics in their strategic plan. These measures include business engagement, workforce credential attainment, securing employment, increased wages, and generating a positive return on public investment. Moving forward, we envision twenty-four workforce programs contributing towards these common goals, ensuring alignment of resources and purpose.

I was pleased to lead the Virginia Board of Workforce Development during an exciting time of transition, and I am confident it is well positioned to be a catalyst for positive change in the future.

Respectfully Submitted,

/s/ R. Danny Vargas
Chairman