A whole batch of new laws that are taking effect this week could lead to more job opportunities for Virginians—particularly those who don’t have or are not pursuing a four-year degree. Many reflect Governor McAuliffe's ambitious goal of training the Commonwealth’s workforce and awarding more than half a million credentials within the next 15 years.
One law shifts state agency oversight to make it easier for businesses to establish apprenticeships. McAuliffe says another encourages local workforce development boards to increase the rates of attainment of skilled workforce credentials and jobs.
“We are now going to award local regions – if they meet credential and attainment goals – they are going to get rewarded financially. We took about $4.5 million of federal money to streamline the program to put that out into the field to coordinate our efforts.”
The Governor says under a law requiring the Community College System to award academic credits, Virginians who join the military can be assured of credentials to increase their job opportunities when their service ends.
“We now give veterans credit for their service and the experiences they had while in uniform.”
A separate new law promotes the creation of more dual enrollment programs to obtain college credits in high school, while another requires school career and technical education programs to be aligned with national certification requirements.
