Virginia Minimum Wage

August 10th, 2009 Posted by Derrick

Effective July 24, 2009 when the federal minimum wage increased from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour, the increased to $7.25 per hour, as well.

 

Every Virginia employer must update his or her labor law posters to reflect the change.

 

In the 2007, the Fair Minimum Wage Act enacted a series of increases for the minimum wage to be accomplished over a three year period. Each would be 70 cents and would occur on July 24. The first took place in 2007, the second in 2008, and the third and last in 2009.

 

That last increase went into effect on July 24, 2009 and increased the federal minimum from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour. This increase affected most of the employers in Virginia, including those covered by the state minimum wage.

 

Many Virginia employers are covered by the federal minimum wage.

 

The federal minimum wage is governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act of (more…)

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Virginia Wins $2.7 Million Training Grants

May 20th, 2008 Posted by Amelia

Due to changes from technology and innovation, an aging workforce and globalization, several industries are in dire need of skilled workers in Virginia and across the nation. Nationwide, industries such as healthcare, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing are but a few of these industries. Regional industries, also seek skilled workers.

 

That’s why employers are rejoicing after two training grants totaling $2.7 million have been awarded to local programs. The Community Job Training Grants will create or promote programs to train workers for positions that employers have open now or in the near future.

 

The grants will focus on training workers for the fastest growing industries.

 

Blue Ridge Community College will use a grant of $1,977,131 to train workers in the advanced manufacturing industry. The school is located in Weyers Cave, Virginia.

 

The second grant, in the amount of $1,792,729 will be used to train workers for the construction industry at Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands.

  (more…)

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Worker Training Awards for CT, KY, MI, VA, WI, TX, MS, MO, OR, WA, NY, LA and MN

July 26th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

The U.S. Department of Labor recently presented awards to outstanding training programs throughout the country in five key areas.  These categories include:

  • Helping young people who are out of school
  • Collaborating with industry to create a workforce investment program
  • Leveraging partnerships between employers, educators and economic development agencies
  • Creating a highly-trained 21st century workforce
  • Training workers with special needs

This year’s big winners include groups from Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Runners-up for the awards include agencies and companies from Michigan, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, New York, Louisiana and Minnesota.

The Recognition of Excellence awards go to the top talent development programs nationwide. This week, Assistant Secretary of Labor Emily Stover DeRocco presented the awards during the Workforce Innovations Conference. Stover DeRocco heads the department’s division of and Training. This is the fourth consecutive year the awards have been used to recognize outstanding training programs in state and local government, private business, education and economic development programs. Each award represents a collaboration between two or more of those key players.

“Our honorees have shown that they are innovative leaders in providing workers with the opportunities and tools to help them compete in today’s global economy,” said DeRocco. “Their outstanding work serves as a model for others to learn from and apply to their own regional economic and talent development strategies.”

The first category is “Educating America’s 21st Century Workforce”, recognizing the top program for providing innovative and effective strategies to prepare workers for jobs requiring better skills. The winner is the Alpena Community College of Alpena, Michigan. Honorable Mentions in this category include the Junior College District of Kansas City, Missouri and the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Beaverton, Oregon.

The award for “Building an Industry/Business-Driven Workforce Investment System” goes to the program that best responds to an industry need while preparing workers for continued job growth.  This award goes to Capital Workforce Partners, of Hartford Connecticut. Honorable mentions in this category include the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth’s Bureau of Workforce Programs statewide. An Honorable Mention also went to the Gulf Coast Workforce Board: the WorkSource in the Gulf Coast Region of Texas.

The third category recognizes the value of collaborations between employers, educators and economic development leaders. The e3 Partnership award goes to Eastern Kentucky C.E. P. Inc. of Hazard, Kentucky. The runner up in this category is the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The fourth category is “Recognizing the Demographics of the Workforce”. This award highlights agencies or organizations that target workers with special needs. Winners in this category provide services to workers with limited English skills, to migrant farm workers, and those who are homeless as well as others. The top award in this category goes to Experience Works, Inc. of Arlington Virginia. Honorable mentions go to the Shoreline Community College in Shoreline Washington and the Center for Employment Opportunities in New York, N.Y. 

The final category is “Serving Out-of-School Youth”. Winners in this category demonstrate innovative techniques in collaborating with educators, businesses, industry and other essential partners to train, educate and hire young people who are out of school. The award goes to Workforce Connections, Inc. of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Other notable programs in this category include the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the River Paris WIA Program in Convent, Louisiana.

All of the awards were presented at a gala ceremony during the Workforce Innovations Conference, an annual event that provides an opportunity for networking on workforce issues between stakeholders in the public and private sectors. 

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Virginia Employment Grant Announced

June 11th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

“Community colleges are closely tied to the areas they serve, and they have proven themselves adept at responding to the regional workforce demands of numerous industries.”  Those are the words of Assistant Secretary of Labor for and Training, Emily Stover DeRocco. The Assistant Secretary was announcing a prestigious grant to a local community college for training in the fast growing energy field. That grant is a result of the President’s Community-Based Job Training Initiative that has awarded 72 community colleges with grants.

A employment grant was awarded to the Piedmont Community College in Charlottesville. Competition for the grants was not easy.  More than 400 schools were vying for the funding to help train the future employees of the country.  The grant totaled $1,249,527 and will be used for energy education programs.  The other schools provide training for energy and other vital professions like advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and construction.  The demand for these types of jobs is on the rise, and the more people that are trained, the better.

Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao has said, “Community colleges are vital partners in educating and preparing workers for good jobs in their local area…The $125 million these 72 community college partnerships will receive under the President’s Community-Based Job Training Initiative is going to help workers succeed in careers in health care, advanced manufacturing and other growing industries.”

The Virginia grant will be used to help the local skills, particularly in high-demand professions.  Over 104 awards have been issued to that affect since 2005, when the program was initiated.  Community colleges are a crucial part of the success as a whole.  As a result of their training, workers will be able to enter the industries with skills and add to the success of the economy. 

With the job market changing, and technology improving, it seems the best way to go is to get the training for a career that will be there in the future.

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Virginia Unemployment Grant

June 7th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

Another round of WIRED grants is now available nationwide, and regions with slow growth and high jobless rates would benefit.

It’s the third generation of the extremely competitive U.S. Labor Department grants. Not only are they highly competitive, they’re designed to reward economic development plans that are innovative and non-traditional.

A unemployment grant could help regions of the state caught in economic stagnation. Some of the other regions nationwide that have benefited include northern Alabama, the Delaware Valley, northern Indiana, northern California, and the Mississippi/Arkansas Delta.

WIRED stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development. In the past, the Labor Department has distributed $260 million in funding. Some 26 regions around the U.S. have benefited.

Competition is stiff. After Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao sends out letters to U.S. governors announcing the latest round of grants, those governors may only submit two grant proposals each. All grant proposals must be for a maximum of $5 million. Every region competing must reveal other sources of funding, whether regional, private, or state, so the Labor Department can integrate its funds with the overall funding scheme.

According to Emily Stover DeRocco, Assistant Secretary of Labor for and Training, “The Third Generation of WIRED is designed to position local Workforce Investment Boards as leaders of a strategic regional partnership.”

And Secretary Chao said, during announcement of the earlier, second round of grants, “Investing in area workforces through this collaborative approach will boost entire regions’ economic vitality.”  She noted as well that “This regional economic development strategy transcends political boundaries to better leverage a region’s assets to help workers succeed in the 21st century worldwide economy.”

The purpose of the grants is to keep job skills up to date in an ever-more competitive global economy.

Assistant Secretary DeRocco pointed out that “Through talent development strategies and integration with regional economic development, this partnership can drive economic transformation in regions across the country and improve employment and advancement opportunities for workers.”

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