Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed an executive order Wednesday to expand registered apprenticeships in Virginia as part of an effort to improve the state’s economy.
Executive Order 49 will create 500,000 new jobs in Virginia, according to the governor’s office. More than 930,000 jobs previously held by retirees will need to be replaced by the year 2022, with almost half of them technical and trade positions.
Apprenticeships serve as a valuable employment tool for businesses, McAuliffe said in a press release.
“This Executive Order will make Virginia a leader in adopting Registered Apprenticeships in both the public and private sectors so that we can train the workforce we need to help us build a new Virginia economy,” McAuliffe said.
Beverley Donati, who manages apprenticeships at the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, said the order has two critical aspects.
“We have identified a sector of information technology and cyberspace to be targeted with this executive order, and also a certain amount of funding will go to certain outside agencies,” Donati said.
The state’s Division of Registered Apprenticeship acts as a middleman and is not directly involved in the hiring process, but able to provide connections between employers and interested individuals, Donati said.
Actual job training for technical and trade level positions is provided directly by employers.
“Many jobs today are middle skill. They are STEM,” Donati said. “They don’t require a college degree, but they do require credentials beyond high school.”
Employers work with third-party businesses and educators to provide training skills necessary for apprentices.
The new order will provide additional funding outlets for employers to provide registered apprenticeships. In total, as much as $120,000 will be provided for state agencies to register programs and for instruction-based costs of state-employee apprentices.
Ray Davenport, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, said the order will help fill apprenticeships and jobs essential to the state economy.
“I look forward to helping to implement this order so that more companies and workers can come together around skilled positions that are essential to building a new Virginia economy,” Davenport said in the press release.
The details of the funding and programs are yet to be determined, but will be settled by Jan. 1, according to the order, Donati said.
“We are very pleased that the governor has seen to elevate registered apprenticeship in this executive order,” Donati said.
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