Public-private partnership has produced easy-to-follow roadmap for localities to expand skilled workforce in healthcare and other priority sectors
Claude Moore Opportunities, Virginia Works, and Secretary of Labor G. Bryan Slater today announced the release of Collaborating to Address Regional Workforce Challenges: A Roadmap, an “off-the-shelf” guide to establish and operate regional, employer-engaged workforce development collaboratives. The Roadmap will be used by communities around Virginia to address workforce shortages in a variety of sectors, with a particular focus on healthcare.
This new tool will give communities a step-by-step roadmap for engaging public and private sector stakeholders to identify current and future workforce needs and then align education and training resources to meet a region’s actual, specific needs. The Roadmap, which is based on models of regional collaboration that have proven successful in Virginia and around the country, guides communities through each step of regional collaboration from “Start” to “Build” to “Scale.”
“Sector partnerships and strategies, like those outlined in the Roadmap, are a proven way to prepare workers for in-demand jobs that can help lift more Virginians into the middle class,” said Virginia Secretary of Labor G. Bryan Slater. “This Roadmap will give communities actionable, step-by-step guidance for identifying and aligning their needs, assets, and stakeholders to help more Virginians enter the workforce. Since his first day in office, Governor Youngkin has been laser-focused on reforming Virginia’s workforce development efforts to create more opportunities for good paying jobs. This Roadmap is yet another impactful step in creating a more prosperous Virginia.”
“Successful workforce development requires everyone in a community to be actively engaged and applying their unique skills, talent, and expertise towards a common goal,” said Dr. Bill Hazel, CEO of Claude Moore Opportunities. “Private sector employers must identify and share the skills they need. Public sector workforce agencies and educational institutions must align their offerings with those needs. And, nonprofits like Claude Moore must help convene and support collaboration between these groups and even amongst employers who would otherwise be competitors. Claude Moore knows from two decades of experience that we can create family-sustaining opportunities and community-wide impact when we all work together to align our workforce development efforts.”
“Regions that break the code on strong collaboration between business, education, economic and workforce development are the ones who are going to successfully meet the needs of business and industry and ensure growth,” said Shawn Avery, President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. “The Roadmap is a template for this type of collaboration that can be used beyond just the healthcare industry, but can be replicated and refined to meet the needs of other regional high demand sectors
The Roadmap was developed collaboratively by Claude Moore and Virginia Works with input from stakeholders around the Commonwealth including public and private sector workforce and economic development professionals, educators, and major employers. It represents a significant new embrace of the “sector-based strategy” that is emerging nationally as a successful method of creating a larger pool of skilled workers to capitalize on a community’s strengths and meet its unique needs.
The strategies explained in the Roadmap are applicable to any industry or sector that requires concerted workforce development efforts with a specific focus on healthcare workforce because of Virginia’s considerable needs, the complexity of healthcare workforce development, and Claude Moore’s unique expertise in this area.
According to a comprehensive 2023 study for the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, 102 of Virginia’s 133 localities are federally designated “Health Professional Shortage Areas” and 93 localities are “Mental Healthcare Professional Shortage Areas,” meaning about 30% of Virginians live in a community without a sufficient number of primary and behavioral healthcare providers.
The George Mason University Center for Health Workforce has similarly identified current and future workforce shortages in critical positions, including:
- Registered nurses: a current need for 20,254, and a projected need for 42,259 over the next 10 years
- Dental Assistants: a current need for 9,330, and a projected need for 13,475 over the next 10 years
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists: a current need for 4,785, and a projected need for 5,960 over the next 10 years
- Pharmacy Technicians: a current need for 6,410, and a projected need for 7,800 over the next 10 years
- Respiratory Therapists: a current need for 2,225, and a projected need for 3,150 over the next 10 years
- Physical Therapists: a current need for 5,320, and a projected need for 6,910 over the next 10 years
The Roadmap has been distributed to stakeholders who helped create it and public and private sector partners who can benefit from its use including local workforce boards, economic and workforce development professionals and agencies, the Virginia Community College System, Chambers of Commerce, major employers, and more.
Claude Moore Opportunities CEO Dr. Bill Hazel will discuss the Roadmap and the value of regional sector-specific partnerships during a panel presentation at the Virginia Works Together Summit, an annual Commonwealth-wide workforce convening in Richmond on Thursday, September 19 alongside Tara Weidman of Carillion Clinic, Sara Dunnigan of GO Virginia, and Xavier Beale of Newport News Shipbuilding.
About Claude Moore Opportunities
Launched in 2024, Claude Moore Opportunities is a new 501(c)3 public nonprofit organization that will raise and distribute philanthropic funds to support regional and collaborative efforts to expand Virginia’s healthcare workforce and create family-sustaining career opportunities. The independent organization is led by CEO Dr. Bill Hazel, Jr., former Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources under Governors Bob McDonnell and Terry McAuliffe, and governed by an executive board of notable civic, philanthropic, and healthcare leaders from around Virginia. Claude Moore Opportunities will build on the 20 years of healthcare workforce development efforts by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, which has invested more than $24 million to enable thousands of Virginians to receive healthcare workforce training and credentials through strategic partnerships with public school systems around the state, the Virginia Community College System, George Mason University, INOVA Health System, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and the Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers, among others.
