Virginia Career Works Referral Portal 

The Virginia Career Works Referral Portal is a groundbreaking statewide platform that refers individuals to programs that assist them in advancing their career paths and financial independence through training, certification, education and employment services. 

Behind the curtain, the Referral Portal is built on the Workforce Data Trust. This first-of-its-kind, cloud-based technology solution forms a more secure bridge across legacy case management systems, allowing for the sharing of data between state agencies in real time. The new capacity will reveal the full scale of the workforce system’s collective impact and allow Virginians to connect more easily to the workforce services they need.

Future of Work Taskforce

In 2019, Governor Northam and the Chief Workforce Advisor launched the Virginia Future of Work Task Force to study and develop policy recommendations to prepare for the emerging gig economy and resulting future workforce needs.

Build Virginia

Build Virginia will connect workers throughout the Commonwealth with training and employment in the high-demand industries of construction, trades, shipbuilding, advanced manufacturing, and energy. The initiative aims to ensure that all Virginians have the opportunity to access a new collar job, regardless of where they live or their skill level.

Apprenticeship Expansion

In 2019, the Commonwealth was awarded more than $1.6 million in grant funding from the federal Department of Labor to expand Virginia’s already successful apprenticeship efforts. Over the next three years, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) and Chief Workforce Advisor will work to increase the number of apprentices in high-demand areas by 800 and incorporate the strategy into state-wide talent development efforts.

Virginia Healthcare Workforce Advisory Council

The mission of the Council is to bring together public and private stakeholders to develop and prioritize policy recommendations that can guide the Commonwealth’s current and future healthcare workforce needs.