by Morgan Sweeney
Virginia ranked first in the nation in customized workforce training, according to the recently released annual State Rankings Report by Business Facilities magazine.
The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program earned the commonwealth its coveted ranking in the report by Business Facilities, a national publication that serves as a resource for corporate site selection.
The program was created in 2019 by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and has already helped bring more than 11,000 jobs to the state.
“At its launch, we set out to be the No. 1 customized workforce solutions program in the country within four years, and I am proud of the Virginia Talent Accelerator team’s tireless efforts to achieve this goal,” said VEDP President Jason El Koubi. “We are only getting started and look forward to expanding the program’s impact in the years ahead.”
The program partners with the commonwealth’s community colleges and universities to supply state-sponsored recruitment and training services to corporations looking to expand or relocate, making Virginia an attractive option for growing employers.
“The program accelerates new facility start-ups through the direct delivery of recruitment and training services that are fully customized to a company’s unique products, processes, equipment, standards and culture,” according to a press release from VEDP.
Micron Technology, the fourth largest semiconductor company in the world, invested in a 10-year $3 billion expansion of its manufacturing site in Manassas in 2018. The program helps supply its talent pool, as the expansion is expected to create more than 1,000 new jobs.
“We partner with community colleges as well as with the universities to really make sure that we have an ongoing, strong pipeline of the talent that is needed to build these most state-of-the-art, advanced technology products,” said Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra.
Rocket Lab USA, a publicly traded aerospace manufacturer, chose Wallops Island, the location for the launch site facility of its “8-ton payload class reusable Neutron rocket.”
“Virginia does have a wonderful workforce,” said Peter Beck, founder and president of Rocket Lab. “The friendliness and the ‘let’s just get it done’ kind of attitude here in Virginia is an exact mesh with not only our company but the origins of our company. It’s a great place to come and do business.”
The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program has provided services to many other employers, including the LEGO Group, Tyson Foods, Civica Inc., Morgan Olson, Thermo Fisher Scientific, GSK and Modine Manufacturing Company.
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Morgan Sweeney is a staff writer covering Virginia and Maryland for The Center Square. Morgan was an active member of the journalism program as an undergraduate at Hillsdale College and previously freelanced for The Center Square.
