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’s economic growth is accelerating, and Virginia is the place people want to live, work, and raise a family; and

WHEREAS, since January 2022, nearly 220,000 more Virginians are working, creating the strongest workforce in the Commonwealth in almost 50 years; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s labor force has the highest participation rate since January 2013 with the largest number of workers since counting began in 1976; 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 skills needed to advance the Commonwealth’s workforce in the 21^st century marketplace; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement will fundamentally accelerate and transform Virginia’s workforce through a bold approach that combines workforce development programs; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement will allow us to provide better services and training to Virginians, measure and optimize 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 2023, as WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and call this observance to the attention of our citizens.