This morning, the
co-chairs of the VSBA Task Force on Workforce Readiness, Mr. Bill Kidd (VSBA
President; School Board Member, Wythe County) and Dr. Tom Brewster (Superintendent,
Pulaski County) presented to the House Education Committee to update the
committee on their work and share the results of the recently completed statewide
survey of Virginia school divisions on workforce readiness programs and
initiatives.
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| Task Force co-chairs Bill Kidd and Tom Brewster present to the House Education Committee |
Since its creation, the
task force has worked diligently to develop their mission, create the statewide
survey, and analyze the results of the survey to offer key findings and
recommendations. Some of the key findings outline the need for increased
funding to sustain current programs, develop new programs, update equipment and
resources, and obtain the highest quality instructors and greater collaboration
between business/industry leaders and CTE. They also found that the ability to
employ the most qualified personnel for CTE instruction is an ongoing issue and
that increased collaboration with business and industry, the community college
system, and the core school setting is necessary.
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| Task Force co-chairs respond to questions from legislators. |
The legislators were
very receptive to the information shared by the task force co-chairs and were
very engaged with thoughtful questions and comments. After the presentation,
the co-chairs along with task force member, Dr. Greg Smith (Superintendent,
Richmond County) met with additional members of the General Assembly. We came
away from the meetings encouraged and energized. We heard genuine interest in
working together to help students better prepare for the new economy. VSBA will
continue to capitalize on this momentum throughout the session and into the coming
months.
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| Members of the Task Force meet with state Senator Bill Carrico to discuss their survey results and key findings. |
For more information
about the VSBA Task Force on Workforce Readiness please visit the VSBA website.
