Showing posts with label CompTIA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CompTIA. Show all posts

Friday, September 11, 2015

Virginia Awarded $6.9 Million in American Apprenticeship Grants

~ Funds to be used to expand apprenticeships in high-growth industries ~

RICHMOND – Governor McAuliffe today announced that Virginia has been awarded $6.9 million in American Apprenticeship Grants from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to expand apprenticeships in high-growth industries.  U.S. DOL awarded $175 million in grants to 46 awardees, and Virginia is being awarded funding for apprenticeship initiatives at the Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board, Inc. and the Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA). CCWA is the workforce development partnership between John Tyler Community College and Reynolds Community College.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McAuliffe said, “I am thrilled that Virginia is receiving these funds to help support apprenticeship programs in the Commonwealth. Preparing our workforce to perform the jobs needed by employers is essential for creating a new Virginia economy, and apprenticeships combine both work experience and education.”

“Strategies like apprenticeship programs are both great for talent development and for sourcing talent for employers,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones. “We want to increase these programs in Virginia to help prepare our workforce, and we congratulate the award recipients.”

The Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board, Inc. was awarded $4 million to fund the Valley to Virginia Apprenticeship Initiative (V2V). The project will target skilled trades in the advanced manufacturing industry and in-demand occupations in H-1B career pathways including; Mechatronics, Industrial Maintenance Technician, CNC Machine Operator, Welder and Production Technician.

V2V is expected to build support for the Registered Apprenticeship Journeyman credential adding 600 new registered apprenticeships in Virginia.  Key business partners include:  A.G.Stacker, Andros Foods North America, Ball Advanced Aluminum Technologies Corporation, The Hershey Company, Kraft Foods, ThermoFisher Scientific, R.R.Donnelley, Tenneco, and the Virginia Manufacturers Association. Key educational and service partners include:  Lord Fairfax Community College, Blue Ridge Community College, Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, Massanutten Technical Center, Valley Career and Technical Center, and Goodwill Industries of the Valleys.

CCWA was awarded a $2.9 million grant to lead the Apprentice Virginia: Collaborative Workforce Solutions in Information Technology & Advanced Manufacturing project. Other partner colleges include Southside Virginia Community College and Danville Community College.  Partnerships with key employers including Ashland Specialty Ingredients, Maxx Potential, International Paper, DuPont Spruance and Rolls-Royce, as well as the South Central, Resource, Crater Regional and West Piedmont Workforce Development Boards will ensure program sustainability. The project will create and expand pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship opportunities for over 330 workers in targeted H-1B industries of information technology (IT) and advanced manufacturing in Virginia.

“These awards will assist Virginia employers with continuing to develop the highly skilled credentialed workers that are in demand in today’s competitive global economy,” said Ray Davenport, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI).  “Registered Apprenticeship combines flexible, carefully defined and employer-specific training under the guidance of a highly skilled mentor at the worksite and occupation specific Apprenticeship Related Classroom Instruction.  DOLI looks forward to continue working with our partners to ensure that Virginia citizens have the skills demanded for today’s jobs and the jobs of the future.”

“The credentials and jobs at the heart of this announcement represent the pathway to Virginia's new middle class," said Glenn DuBois, Chancellor of Virginia's Community Colleges. “These grant resources will help us connect more people to what can be life-changing apprenticeship opportunities -- something that we are striving to do more of everyday across Virginia.”

The American Apprenticeship Grants will help Virginia, and other recipients nationwide, to collectively train and hire more than 34,000 new apprentices in high-growth and high-tech industries as diverse as health care, IT, and advanced manufacturing while scaling up proven programs in construction, transportation, and energy over the next five years.


Sunday, September 6, 2015

Governor McAuliffe Signs Executive Directive to Strengthen Cybersecurity Protocol

~ Executive Directive would expand cyber-related risk management activities ~

RICHMOND – Today Governor McAuliffe signed Executive Directive 6 to strengthen the Commonwealth’s cybersecurity measures in order to protect personal information and sensitive data through the expansion of cyber-related risk management activities.

“A key ingredient to building a new Virginia economy is a solid cyber infrastructure,” said Governor McAuliffe. “That is why it’s vital that the Commonwealth take the proper precautions to protect and safeguard the information entrusted to our care. I am proud to sign this Directive, which initiates enhanced risk management processes that will increase our ability to mitigate the ever increasing flow of cyber threats.”

The Directive requires the Virginia Information Technologies Agency to provide an updated inventory of all data and computer systems while recommending strategies to strengthen and modernize agencies’ cyber security profiles.  

Cybersecurity is a responsibility shared by every level of government,” said Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson. “These risk mitigation steps will allow the Commonwealth to take a more strategic approach to securing our systems and data.”

The full Executive Directive is below:

Executive Directive 6 (2015)


EXPANDING CYBER-RELATED RISK MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES


Importance of the Initiative

One of the primary responsibilities of the Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia is to protect and safeguard citizen data.  In light of ever-increasing cybersecurity attacks on personal information, sensitive data, and systems, I am committed to expanding our cyber-related risk management activities and strengthening our ability to protect the information entrusted to our care.

I am directing the Secretaries of Technology and Finance and the Commonwealth’s Chief Information Officer to take the necessary steps to complete a review of all Commonwealth of Virginia systems and associated data in the following manner:

  1. The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) shall provide an updated inventory of all data and computer systems to the Governor’s Office by October 15, 2015.   The inventory shall include but not be limited to:
    1. Determination of sensitivity and criticality of systems and data
    2. Risk prioritization and scope of systems and data, and
    3. Development of a risk-based approach to enhance protection of systems and data

  1. The Secretary of Technology and VITA shall recommend strategies to strengthen and modernize agencies’ cyber-security profiles by October 15, 2015, including:
    1. Completion of security audits,
    2. Development of risk mitigation and resilience plans, and
    3. Plans for remediation with completion dates.

  1. VITA shall provide a status report on the execution of the strategies, along with associated plans and actions, to the Governor and the Secretaries of Technology and Finance by October 1, 2016.

These risk-mitigation steps to strengthen our sensitive systems and data cannot be effectively and accurately completed without the cooperation of each executive branch agency.  For this reason, I am directing each executive branch agency to assist VITA by providing all requested information required to complete this inventory in a timely manner.