According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Greater Washington region is one of the 12 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, with employment climbing by 1.9 percent as of March 2024. NVC (the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce), the leading business organization in greater Washington, recognizes the importance of workforce development to expand the diversity of technical skills that will grow our region.
Though there is still much to be done, the future of our prosperous region is optimistic and NVC is actively working to shape that positive future.
Through NVC’s Cyber Workforce Workshop series, regional leaders convene to identify strategies, goals and potential solutions, sharing challenges and collaborating on next steps with federal and state stakeholders.
Facilitated by Liza Wilson Durant, a professor and associate provost for strategic initiatives and community engagement at George Mason University, and Jerry McGinn, executive director of the Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University, this critical discussion focuses on elements that include the importance of soft and professional skills, core engineering skills and looking beyond traditional sources for talent to expand the workforce.
NVC also believes innovation and investment in workforce development, higher education and public schools are essential to the expansion of our economy.
Working with surrounding colleges and educational institutions, we strongly support initiatives such as funding George Mason University’s in-state undergraduate students at a level equal to the average of doctoral institutions in Virginia; increasing the regional capacity of Northern Virginia Community College to close the commonwealth’s workforce gap; and increasing access to a quality education for students with learning disabilities, veterans, English learners and those living below the poverty line.
To assist employers in the region with evaluating and creating an apprentice-based recruitment and training model, Accenture, Aon, and NVC formed the Greater Washington Apprentice Network (GWAN) in the fall of 2020. We ardently advocate for apprenticeships to “earn and learn,” which entails obtaining necessary on-the-job training while still making a living. Certain talents, like teamwork and leadership, are best developed in the workplace, while other skills are better developed in an educational setting.
Through the implementation of GWAN, NVC brings together employers, academic institutions, and public and private sectors to give the best training resources and access to practices from organizational peers.
