Top Five Free Workforce Resources in Northern Virginia

Prioritizing your workforce needs as an employer can mean identifying availability gaps and labor opportunities. But how do you reach your target market? For employees or job seekers, how do you determine characteristics of employers who best meet your skills and abilities? Here are five free resources to use whether seeking new employment or recruiting talented employees.  

Work in Northern Virginia: A one-stop resource for talented employees to learn more about living and working in Northern Virginia – and to connect with hundreds of employers in the region actively hiring. As part of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance (NOVA EDA), companies can submit recruitment information and put themselves on the map for talent.  

ELEVATE: Prince William County Department of Economic Development (PWCDED)’s workforce solutions program for the county’s businesses and residents helps

• Employees with job search or skills training; personal engagement with workforce center leaders; GED assistance; and offers free training and certifications from a network of education partners.
• Employers with one-on-one incumbent worker training; low-cost solutions to train current employees to meet competitive market standards; job fair participation; and unlimited postings for open positions portal.  

Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) Career Services: With six campuses, specialized program centers – including the Regional Center for Workforce Education and Training (WRC) in Woodbridge –and an online division, NOVA is home to approximately 70,000 students across Northern Virginia pursuing over 130 different degree and certificate programs. NOVA recruitment services partners with employers to create strategic recruitment plans and engagement opportunities to help companies connect with the future workforce. 

Greater Washington Apprenticeship Program (GWAN): The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce runs GWAN to help employers develop an apprentice-based model of recruitment and training. With free meetings once a month, the program has a strong focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI). Professional apprenticeships help address the skills gap facing many companies while providing greater opportunity to current or potential employees who are underrepresented and/or may need reskilling for jobs that have been disrupted or eliminated by technological advances.  

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Career Technical Education program (CTE) - PWCS offers more than one hundred high school courses across eight CTE course areas such as accounting, culinary arts, cybersecurity, and engineering, to name a few. Prince William County businesses can work with CTE’s business coordinator for free to reach high school juniors and seniors and prepare them for post-graduate positions in the community.  

For more resources, visit the Workforce & Talent webpage on PWCDED.org. Employers should contact PWCDED at econdev@pwcded.org for consultation on talent attraction.