The Hampton Roads Skilled Trades Rapid On-ramp Network for Growth (HR STRONG) is an initiative that supports career access and training opportunities in the region's industries. The initiative is funded by the State of Virginia general fund and is designed to collaborate with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council to support the following industries: naval shipbuilding, offshore wind, and road and tunnel construction.

In Chapter 2, Item 354 B2 of the 2024 -2026 Virginia biennial budget, the initiative also includes a review of instructor salaries for noncredit workforce training programs which states the following:

The Virginia Board of Workforce Development in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement and the Virginia Community College System shall review instructor salaries for noncredit workforce training programs offered as a part of the Hampton Roads Skilled Trades Rapid On-ramp Network for Growth (STRONG) initiative funded in this paragraph. This review shall include examining current instructor salaries for noncredit workforce training compared to current market rates for aligned professor positions; current approaches to funding instructor positions for noncredit and for credit courses offered as a part of the STRONG initiative; and options for increasing instructor salaries in noncredit course offerings, including appropriate funding model reforms. The Virginia Board of Workforce Development shall submit its preliminary review and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Education and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health on or before November 1, 2024, and a final report of its review and recommendations on or before by June 30, 2025.

The purpose of this preliminary report is to provide an approach, framework, and methodology for the final report that will be submitted to the to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Education and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health on by June 30, 2025.