Virginia GED and Lifelong Learning Awareness Week (2009)

Virginia GED and Lifelong Learning Awareness Week

WHEREAS, a well-educated, highly skilled workforce is essential to the economic growth of the Commonwealth of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, more than one million adult Virginians, or one in six, lack a high school diploma or GED certificate, drastically reducing their chance to earn a living wage and support their families; and

WHEREAS, the emerging 21st century economy will be driven by jobs that will require lifelong learning from employees and require a higher skill set; and

WHEREAS, the GED certificate is a nationally recognized high school equivalency credential and is accepted by most colleges, universities, and employers as evidence that the holder of the credential possesses knowledge and skills necessary for further career education and training and is the passport into the 21st century workplace; and

WHEREAS,  the Virginia Workforce Network, a collaboration of partners working to unify numerous training, education, and employment programs, has identified the awareness of and access to GED programs as a key strategy to prepare Virginians for high-skill career tracks; and 

WHEREAS, local Workforce Investment Boards, One-Stop Comprehensive Workforce Centers, the Virginia Department of Education, and the Virginia Workforce Network’s other program partners throughout the Commonwealth have joined efforts to increase GED certification; and 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Timothy M. Kaine, do hereby recognize October 19-23, 2009, as GED AND LIFELONG LEARNING AWARENESS WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.