The General Assembly’s watchdog agency did not sugarcoat the problems as it presented a frank examination of Virginia’s cumbersome workforce development system. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found that employers have difficulty navigating the programs and filling job openings with workers who have requisite skills. It also found that key workforce programs do not emphasize training in fields with the greatest potential for employment.
All industries in all parts of the state have had difficulty filling open positions due to a lack of qualified applicants. And technical education does not always align with job opportunities. JLARC Project Leader Tracey Smith said resources are misaligned in some high schools.
“Last year there were 254 courses in fashion design—although labor market data indicated that there were only 44 job openings in this field. In contrast, we identified only 47 individual high school courses in nursing, despite the fact that nursing accounted for nearly 45,000 job openings statewide.”
She said that’s also true for some colleges—which concerned Delegate Chris Jones.
“The top job openings in the region—there are no community college courses related to that particular opportunity."
“Now that’s just inexcusable to me.”
Smith said more businesses should be consulted to develop courses that match the labor market.
JLARC also found that better coordination is needed among the nine agencies administering 24 programs.
