Narrative: I. b.

Virginia envisions a state workforce system in which programs and resources are aligned to achieve the best possible results for Virginia’s businesses and job seekers. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the ideal vehicle for the Commonwealth to implement that vision. This Combined State Plan (Plan) integrates workforce activities among core and non-core program partners, public and private workforce shareholders, and others in the Commonwealth who strive to achieve workforce outcomes that put customers first.

Guiding the Plan is Virginia’s vision for the delivery of workforce development services:
Virginia’s nation leading workforce ecosystem will equip Virginians with the skills they need and enable employers to attract, grow, and retain them – ensuring the future of a thriving Commonwealth. In parallel with the stand-up of Virginia Works, we will accelerate the coordination, enhancement, and future-readiness of the Commonwealth’s many workforce programs and stakeholders across the government and broader ecosystem through a formal process.

Virginia embraces four strategic goals for the workforce system. These goals are:

1. Prepare Virginia’s workers for current and future career pathways that provide competitive wages.
2. Deliver workforce services that support business growth in Virginia’s leading-edge economy.
3. Provide outreach and recruitment services that increase awareness and access to Virginia’s workforce development ecosystem.
4. Reduce workforce system barriers through dynamic collaboration, coordination, and communication with Virginia Works as the hub-and-spoke model.

The core programs in the Plan include:

• The Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth program authorized under Title I-B of WIOA and administered by Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement)
• The Adult Education and Family Literacy program authorized under Title II of WIOA and administered by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)
• The Wagner-Peyser Employment Services program authorized under Title III of WIOA and administered by Virginia Works
• The Vocational Rehabilitation programs authorized under Title IV of WIOA and administered by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) and the Department for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBVI)

To take a coordinated, forward-looking, and dynamic approach to fulfill the needs of Virginia employers and workforce, Virginia has established Virginia Works. This new state agency oversees the coordination and performance measurement of workforce development programs across the Commonwealth (both those within the agency and those which reside in other state agencies). With the agency established on July 1, 2023, Virginia is coordinating a truly cohesive hub-and-spoke ecosystem model for workforce development, with Virginia Works as its backbone. Additional information about Virginia Works is available at www.virginiaworks.gov.

Additionally, non-core programs included in this Plan are:

• Career and technical education (CTE) programs authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 administered by VDOE
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) administered by the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS)
• Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers program administered by Virginia Works
• Jobs for Veterans State Grant (JVSG) program administered by Virginia Works
• Unemployment Insurance program administered by the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC)
• Registered Apprenticeship (RA) administered by Virginia Works
• Senior Community Service Employment (SCSEP) administered by DARS

In addition, each of the organizations in Virginia delivering services to employers and job seekers is dedicated to increasing communication and efficiency, reducing duplication and waste, and achieving meaningful outcomes for all customers. For Virginia, this approach unifies the efforts of educators, career coaches, vocational rehabilitation professionals, economic developers, veterans’ organizations, legislators and other elected officials, business leaders, and state government staff. This unity of purpose will benefit all customers by making the system easier to navigate and more relevant in today's rapidly changing job market.

This Plan is required by WIOA, which was signed into law on July 22, 2014. WIOA authorizes four core programs in Virginia’s workforce system, the state’s one-stop system, and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development (VBWD).
Members of the Governor’s staff, members of the Secretary of Labor’s staff, workforce services partners, the VBWD, and the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Public Policy (CPP) collaborated to develop the goals and strategies in this Plan. As part of this effort, CPP facilitated conversations with representatives from the Governor’s office, Secretary’s office, Virginia Works, VEC, VDOE, VDSS, DARS, DBVI, and regional workforce development leadership to identify strategies for implementing workforce development programs in Virginia for the next four years.

All partners collaborated throughout the fall and winter of 2023 and spring of 2024 to develop the 2024-2027 Combined State Plan based on stakeholder feedback, evaluation of the work completed since the 2022 Plan modification, and the expertise of the program partners.