Virginia's workforce development is in the midst of a reorganization — one designed to make better use of federal money.
Last year, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a bill that created a new Department of Workforce Development and Advancement. Now, he's signing legislation to give the new department a commissioner and collect data about jobs.
"Several governors for a long time, and also several legislators, would start all these different workforce projects, and a lot of them very good, very well intentioned," says Senator David Suetterlein, a Republican from Roanoke County who introduced the bill. "But they were scattered in many of these different places. And so, by trying to consolidate this, we hope to have less crosscurrents."
Virginia officials are hoping to make sure federal money available for dislocated workers gets to the people who need it the most. John Provo is executive director for the Center for Economic and Community Engagement at Virginia Tech.
"Well, the bill creates a greater line of accountability from the new Department of Workforce Development and Advancement and really gives that gubernatorially-appointed official greater involvement and responsibility for shaping the approach to the largest of these funds focused on dislocated workers," Provo says.
The newly-created commissioner of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement will be accountable for making sure all that federal money gets to the dislocated workers so they can get jobs in Virginia.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
