PALM HARBOR — December 11, 2007 — Job seekers, employers, and employment staff in Virginia now have a new tool at their disposal that will revolutionize workforce development in the state.
The Virginia Workforce Connection is a state-of-the-art website that provides universal access to online services for individuals seeking jobs, employers looking to recruit talent, and education/training providers promoting their programs.
The system, which debuted on November 13, was built using Version 8.1 of Geographic Solutions' Virtual OneStop software solution. Representatives from Geographic Solutions were on hand to provide guidance and assistance to state workforce staff as they began using the system with their customers.
One of the challenges of developing the site was the need to combine several existing legacy systems — and all of the data contained in each — into one centralized location. The result is a new statewide system that supports both Workforce Investment Act and Wagner-Peyser activities at a single online access point.
The Virginia Workforce Connection provides users with a wide array of employment-related services. Job seekers are able to post their resumes online and search for all available jobs in the state using a search engine that "spiders" jobs from company and government websites, newspaper postings, and corporate job boards. Job seekers also have access to resume development, skills matching, and career assessment tools.
Employers can post their job openings, at no cost, and search for candidates to fill their employment needs.
Both job seekers and employers have access to a wide selection of detailed labor market information topics, such as local wages and occupational projections.
State workforce development staff is using the system to effectively manage and track their customers, enroll them in various career development services, and monitor their progress. Staff can also use the system to submit performance and management reports that are fully compliant with Common Measures.