Virginia has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for its workforce training program in Area Development’s 16th Annual 2026 Top States for Doing Business report. The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program is a workforce initiative created by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System (VCCS).
“The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program shows what happens when Virginia’s community colleges and economic developers work as one team,” said VCCS Chancellor Dr. David Doré. “Being ranked No. 1 in the nation again is a credit to that partnership and to the faculty and staff across our 23 colleges who make it work.”
The recognition follows the program’s No. 1 ranking in the annual Business Facilities Rankings Report for the fourth consecutive year. Together, the two rankings affirm Virginia’s Top State for Talent strategy, which helps companies recruit, train, and launch a job-ready workforce tailored to their operations.
Additionally, Area Development also ranked Virginia among the country’s top ten states (#8) for business climate. Read Governor Spanberger’s announcement of Virginia being ranked #1 in the Nation for its Workforce Training Program.
