Across many states, workforce and economic development policies are typically managed by different agencies, funded through different laws and programs, and driven by different priorities and eligibility rules. This arrangement can result in a fragmented workforce and economic development ecosystem that may have negative impacts for workers and employers alike.
Increasingly, state policymakers are seeking ways to align efforts to meet employer demand for a skilled workforce and to increase access for their constituents to high-demand jobs, particularly those that require less than a bachelor’s degree. Aligning efforts between different agencies and funding streams is neither automatic nor simple, but such efforts are important if states are to maximize the value of their workforce investments.
This brief examines two statewide workforce-focused initiatives and efforts to promote their better alignment in Virginia, which has a robust history of using state policy to strengthen workforce quality and align talent development with economic development priorities. The first is Get a Skill, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3), which was designed to help more low-income adults enroll in and complete associate degree, certificate, and noncredit occupational training programs in a number of high-demand fields. The second is Growth and Opportunity (GO) Virginia, an initiative that incentivizes regional collaboration between business, education, and government entities to increase access to high-paying jobs. Both G3 and GO Virginia are designed to increase both the supply of skilled workers for high-demand jobs and access to jobs, trades, and professions for which a high demand for qualified workers exists or is projected.
In this ARCC Network brief, the authors present a snapshot of how the two initiatives interact on
the ground and describe opportunities for more deliberate and strategic efforts to align their
goals and investments.