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1997 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 622
Establishing a joint subcommittee to study noncredit education for workforce training in Virginia.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 29, 1997
Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 1997

WHEREAS, attention to the training and retraining needs of business and industry is critical to the well-being of the economy of the Commonwealth of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, noncredit instruction is often the instruction of choice for business and industry because it is more flexible, timely, and responsive to business needs; and

WHEREAS, noncredit training programs can be developed more quickly than degree programs offered for credit which must be evaluated and approved by the State Board for Community Colleges and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; and

WHEREAS, support for noncredit workforce training has not been a priority of the Commonwealth, causing competitor states to surpass Virginia in workforce development tied to the needs of business and industry; and

WHEREAS, unlike competitor states, Virginia provides no financial support to industries currently located in the state unless they are expanding their employee base or making a significant capital investment in plant and equipment; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's community colleges receive no funding for noncredit instruction, and unless the full costs, including 30 percent to cover the indirect costs, are charged to business and industry, other programs of the college must bear the brunt of the costs, or the services cannot be provided; and

WHEREAS, the demand on community colleges by business and industry for continuous education, training, and retraining to provide a highly skilled work force is steadily increasing; and

WHEREAS, the needs of business and industry, the lack of funding for noncredit training and retraining courses requested by business and industry, and the absence of a public policy to provide sound and continuous training opportunities for businesses in the Commonwealth warrant examination; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study noncredit education for workforce training in Virginia. The joint subcommittee shall be composed of 18 members as follows: 5 members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; 4 members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; 5 persons holding leadership positions in business and industry in the Commonwealth, 3 to be appointed by the Speaker of the House and 2 to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, the Secretary of Education, the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, and the Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, to serve ex officio, without voting privileges.

During the course of its study, the joint subcommittee shall confer with and provide an opportunity for participation in the study to other representatives of business and industry, including, but not limited to, the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce; the Virginia Economic Development Partnership; local government, business, and industry; and persons with expertise in regional economic development, all of whom shall serve the joint subcommittee in an advisory capacity without compensation.

The joint subcommittee shall identify the courses and programs of study in highest demand by business and industry in the Commonwealth; develop a process for assessing the future demand and appropriate public policy for noncredit education and workforce training programs; recommend the appropriate share of the costs of such programs to be borne by the Commonwealth; and recommend initiatives that will sustain a highly skilled labor force to meet the needs of existing business and industry and facilitate the recruitment of new businesses to the Commonwealth.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $9,250.

The Division of Legislative Services and the Virginia Community College System shall provide staff support for the study. The staffs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance shall provide technical assistance to the joint subcommittee.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1998 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to consequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.