Meeting Regional STEMM Workforce Needs in the Wake of COVID-19 Proceedings of a Virtual Workshop Series (2021) / Chapter Skim
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4 Richmond, Virginia
4 Richmond, Virginia
Pages 57-72
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From page 57... ...
At the same time, the city of Richmond, similar to the cities of Birmingham and Boston, had a much higher poverty rate, lower median wage, and more economic stress than the Richmond metropolitan area. As was the case for the previous two workshops, this one began with an overview of the economic situation in the city and surrounding metropolitan area, with the caveat that there are data through 2019, but up-to-the-minute economic data that can inform policy and practice are difficult to collect.
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From page 58... ...
Waddell noted that the Richmond metropolitan area has grown since the mid-1990s, although not as much as other similarly sized cities elsewhere in Virginia or in the South. Population growth in the city has also outpaced that of the metro area over the past decade as people move back to the city from its suburbs.
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From page 59... ...
Andreason explained that automation, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, presents a risk of permanent job loss depending on a region's mix of jobs. The Richmond metro area's mix of jobs that are at risk of being lost permanently is similar to other portions of the south and mid-Atlantic regions, said Andreason, with those jobs at greatest risk being retail positions, cashiers, restaurant wait staff, cooks, and receptionists.
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From page 60... ...
can be said for the Richmond metro area's middle-skill, high-paying job mix in terms of its similarity to that of other southern and mid-Atlantic states. He noted that the Richmond metro area appears to be slightly more exposed than the rest of the state to permanent job loss and the percentage of workers who would be able to work at home.
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From page 61... ...
Andreason added that 39 percent of households in the metro area earn less than $20,000 annually and do not have internet access at home, compared to 35 percent of all households in the city. He also said that 78 percent of all households in the Richmond metro area have a computer at home, compared to 73 percent in the city.
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From page 62... ...
Discussion Sledge noted that the city of Richmond is focusing its efforts on and emphasizing equity and inclusion in its economic development activities so that Black and brown communities receive the benefits of these efforts. When asked whether there are any indications that the food service and hospitality workforce is exploring potential transitions to other industries, Sledge said that there is anecdotal evidence that individuals in the leisure and hospitality industry have been able to find employment in warehousing and logistics.
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From page 63... ...
He also noted the importance of the life sciences industry that is developing around the area's three major research universities and of making sure that the region's institutions of higher education are training a workforce capable of filling the jobs that industry is creating. Fitzpayne commented that before attending the workshop he reviewed the most recent Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions issued by the Federal Reserve Bank and saw that many businesses in the Richmond metropolitan area reported having difficulty filling positions.3 Being somewhat surprised by this situation during a period of elevated unemployment, he asked Waddell if she has been hearing that from Richmond's businesses.
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From page 64... ...
Through the perseverance of its first students -- who were educated in that jail -- and the community, the school now offers degree programs leading to bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees for underprivileged individuals living in the Richmond area. Buckley noted that Virginia Commonwealth University's focus during the pandemic has been to prevent job loss, continue to train healthcare professionals, and help the Richmond area safely open for business.
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From page 65... ...
Connecting Job Seekers to Training Opportunities Davis explained that Virginia Career Works is not a training provider but a connector that links job seekers to training opportunities and to employers in need of a trained and skilled workforce. In 2019, its three regional workforce centers served some 30,000 clients, placing 85 percent of them in jobs with an 80 percent retention rate and helping 75 percent attain the credentials needed for those jobs.
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From page 66... ...
Davis said the Capital Region Workforce Development Board has not gone through the same seismic shift that educational institutions have had to endure, but one shift it did have to make was to learn how to remain eligible for federal employment and training program funds in a virtual format. This involved installing new systems for verifying signatures and program eligibility and transmitting personally identifiable information electronically.
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From page 67... ...
Van Freeman, director of the Aerospace Industries Association's future workforce development and strategy initiatives, asked the panelists what the colleges and universities in Virginia are doing to alleviate the burden on students of color who are trying to enter STEMM fields, given that they are likely to have more student debt that their white counterparts. Lucas replied that Virginia Union University's approach has been to build degree programs that lead to well-paying STEMM jobs and to procure opportunities for them to get hands-on experiences in those fields, allowing students to conduct research in a laboratory and earn while they learn.
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From page 68... ...
Creamer's organization, the Community College Workforce Alliance, serves more than 9,000 regional residents per year, providing employees for over 200 businesses and organizations in the region. To get residents of greater Richmond back to work, her organization works through industry sector strategies that focus on specific industries and then uses what she called FastForward workforce credentials, apprenticeship programs, and pre-employment training.4 It also does contract training for business 4 Additional information about FastForward workforce credentials is available at https:// www.fastforwardva.org/.
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From page 69... ...
Merrick noted that some of the business partners had never worked with a community college and said that the goal is to have 2,000 people finish this program by the end of 2020 and to have supported a minimum of 15,000 people over the next two years. Discussion When asked whether Richmond was deploying any creative solutions to address the broader challenges and obstacles, such as lack of childcare, transportation, and internet access, that affect workers' ability to secure employment and stay employed, Mitchell described an initiative begun by the Office of Community Wealth Building called the ambassadors program.
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From page 70... ...
The state has also developed an online referral tool that individuals can use to enter their information and get referrals to jobs or social services, and has secured federal funds to address those social needs. The governor allocated $5 million for community colleges to "flip" their workforce training pathways so that job training, rather than coming later in a student's course of study, starts on day one.
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From page 71... ...
Creamer said she would like to see the federal government make it easier for working adults to get ahead by accessing federal financial aid or workforce training at community colleges and universities, particularly for part-time students. Marshall wanted to have the federal government continue to support increasing broadband internet access for everyone in the state, and Mitchell said she would like to see the federal government look at the "cliff effect" for benefits.
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From page 72... ...
Carpenter was impressed by the resonance he heard among the different panel members regarding the need to shift institutional focus and work in partnership to address the immediate and long-term economic issues highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, he thought that the Richmond workforce system was well connected across the community, thanks to leadership that was willing to be adaptive and form partnerships.
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