WHEREAS, a skilled and trained workforce is essential to the economic prosperity of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the ability of our businesses and industries to compete in the global economy; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's world-class workforce is our greatest asset, underpinning the success of our businesses, industries, and communities; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has been recognized among CNBC’s Top Ten States for Business in sixteen of the survey’s eighteen years and holds the record for earning the top spot six times, most recently in 2024; and

WHEREAS, since January 2022, over 267,000 more Virginians are working, creating the strongest workforce in the Commonwealth’s history; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s labor force has grown by almost 200,000 since January 2022; and

WHEREAS, to continue to grow and strengthen Virginia’s economy, we need to innovate how we train Virginia’s workforce to drive opportunity and stimulate new business opportunities; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s Community Colleges and other higher education institutions are delivering a deep pipeline of talent with the technical and interpersonal skills needed to advance the Commonwealth’s workforce in the 21st-century marketplace; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has grown the number of registered apprenticeships by 40% over the last 5 years; and

WHEREAS, the newly established agency, Virginia Works, will fundamentally accelerate and transform Virginia’s workforce through a bold and collaborative approach that coordinates the Commonwealth’s workforce development programs; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Works will allow us to provide better services and training to Virginians, measure and continually improve our programs, create more high-paying jobs for Virginia workers, enable the Commonwealth to better compete with other states, and meet the employment needs of businesses; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s focus on workforce development strengthens the Commonwealth’s ability to compete for the businesses that will create jobs, grow our economy, and ensure prosperity;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize September 2025, as WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and call this observance to the attention of all of our citizens.