Education and Training
(Also see Chapter 5, Public Education)
The education and training of the labor force is vital to the City's future economic security. National studies point to an overall labor shortage, a major mis-match of skills and available positions, the importance of utilizing welfare-to-work programs to training and move unemployed or unemployable people into the labor force, and the importance that immigrant labor will play in filling jobs. These trends are already occurring but will accelerate during the coming decades.
Education and training needs to be a paramount role in addressing these issues. The City has improved education and training in ways that will enhance the availability and quality of its labor force. These include the national award-winning Achievable Dream program and a comprehensive, regional workforce-training program. Local businesses and the Newport News school system should continue to work together to reduce the dropout rate and provide quality education to those who stay in school. When an "at-risk" student drops out of high school, he or she effectively drops out of the productive work force.
Since 2000, strides toward regional implementation of workforce development have taken place. The Peninsula Work Force Development Center is fully operational at Thomas Nelson Community College. The Center provides a one-stop service point for both employers and job seekers. Coordination of this effort is provided by Peninsula Worklink and the Greater Peninsula Workforce Investment Board. The Peninsula Council for Workforce Development (PCWFD) is specifically charged with coordinating and developing training programs that are relevant to various industry clusters on the Peninsula. The PCWFD has also been active in introducing training programs through the public school systems.