Authority: Title 2.2, Chapter 20.2, Code of Virginia.

A. Out of the amounts in this Item, $1,501,000 the first year from the general fund is provided to support the establishment of the Department.

B.1. Out of the amounts in this Item, $2,000,000 the first year and $2,000,000 the second year from the general fund is designated for economic development programming under the Hampton Roads Skilled Trades Rapid On-ramp Network for Growth (STRONG) initiative. The Department shall collaborate with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council to support career access and training opportunities in the naval shipbuilding, offshore wind, and road and tunnel construction industries.

2. The Virginia Board of Workforce Development in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement and the Virginia Community College System shall review instructor salaries for noncredit workforce training programs offered as a part of the Hampton Roads Skilled Trades Rapid On-ramp Network for Growth (STRONG) initiative funded in this paragraph. This review shall include examining current instructor salaries for noncredit workforce training compared to current market rates for aligned professor positions; current approaches to funding instructor positions for noncredit and for credit courses offered as a part of the STRONG initiative; and options for increasing instructor salaries in noncredit course offerings, including appropriate funding model reforms. The Virginia Board of Workforce Development shall submit its preliminary review and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Education and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health on or before November 1, 2024, and a final report of its review and recommendations on or before by June 30, 2025.