OpEd by David Doré, VCCS Chancellor, and Barry DuVal, Virginia Chamber of Commerce Pres. & CEO
Published by Cardinal News on Feb. 21, 2024
Dr. David Doré, VCCS Chancellor
Barry DuVal, Pres. & CEO, Virginia Chamber of Commerce
[Excerpt] Virginia confronts a widely acknowledged skills gap, with about 249,000 unfilled jobs
in the state. The Virginia Chamber’s 29,000-plus members, many of them small businesses, struggle daily to hire people with the right skills for those jobs.
This labor gap is worsened by Virginia’s consistent net negative out-migration for the last nine years, alongside a looming decline in K-12 populations for years to come. The question is, where are workers going to come from?
The answer lies with the 3.2 million Virginians lacking postsecondary credentials. The absolute best path for millions of Virginians to prepare for good jobs is accessing one of Virginia’s 23 community colleges to earn a valuable credential. Notably, at least 81% of community college graduates remain in the commonwealth, strengthening its workforce.
With additional funding, Virginia’s community colleges can build on this success by expanding state-of-the-art programs, increasing the supply of skilled workers, and meeting business and industry needs across in-demand sectors. Community colleges are among Virginia’s most efficient and successful economic development drivers. Investments in Virginia’s community colleges have consistently yielded positive returns for taxpayers and they will continue to do so well into the future.
You can read the entire column here.
