Fairfax Man Joins Effort to Revamp Virginia's $250 Million Training Program.
Michael Ferraro of Chantilly, VA has been appointed by the Virginia General Assembly to the committee studying workforce development and training resources. Ferraro is President and CEO of TRAINING SOUTIONS Inc. Workforce development and training programs-- urgently needed to meet the needs of employers for skilled workers, and the needs of workers for jobs--are at a critical juncture in Virginia. The programs are fragmented into a bureaucratic entanglement of 22 programs in ten state agencies under three secretariats. A recent legislative report found the system is a complicated maze with potential for inefficiency and duplication of efforts. These programs give Virginia a competitive edge in todayÂ’s high-growth industries such as IT, health care, financial services and construction. They position the state to align with the changing national and global economy--an urgent requirement in todayÂ’s marketplace. The committee will make recommendations for change to the General Assembly.
FAIRFAX, VA (PRWEB) June 23, 2005
C. Michael Ferraro of Chantilly, Virginia, has been appointed by the Virginia General Assembly to the state committee studying workforce development and training resources throughout the Commonwealth. Ferraro is President and CEO of TRAINING SOLUTIONS, Inc., a professional development, training and executive coaching firm in Fairfax County.
Workforce development and training programs are at a critical juncture in Virginia. They are urgently needed to meet the needs of Virginia employers for skilled workers, and the needs of workers for jobs to support themselves and their families. Yet the deployment of programs and funds in the state is fragmented into a bureaucratic entanglement of 22 programs administered by ten state agencies in three secretariats. According to a recent state legislative report, the system is a complicated maze with the potential for inefficiency and duplication of efforts.
How the Commonwealth spends limited state and federal dollars earmarked for workforce training is both an economic development and public policy issue. Workforce development and training programs give Virginia a competitive edge in todayÂ’s high-growth industries such as IT, health care, financial services and construction. They position the state to align with the changing national and global economy--an urgent requirement in todayÂ’s marketplace.
The committee will look at the segmentation of programs, staffing and funding, and models for coordination or consolidation in order to effectively ensure that Virginia workers and employers have the most advanced skills and tools available to compete successfully. It is anticipated that the committee will make recommendations during the 2006 session of the General Assembly.
The committee, consisting of 15 members including three members of the State Senate, five members of the House of Delegates, the Attorney General and the President of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, was established through legislation passed during the 2004 General Assembly session. The committee will focus on the efficient and effective deployment of more than $250 million annually in training and development funds in the state. These funds provide training to improve the productivity and competitiveness of Virginia business and retrain workers who have lost their jobs due to company closures and layoffs.
Ferraro, 47, founded TRAINING SOLUTIONS, Inc. in 1995. The firm has been recognized as the “Small Business of the Year” by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and as “Outstanding Small Business” by the Fairfax County Small and Minority Business Advisory Council.
Ferraro has almost 30 years experience in the fields of management, training and human resource development. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Virginia State Workforce Council, the Public Policy Council of the American Society for Training and Development and is Chairman of the Management Team of the Metro Tech Project, a $20 million federally-funded workforce training program. He is former Vice Chairman of the Workforce Investment Board of Northern Virginia. In addition, Ferraro is a member of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation Board.
Ferraro was the Founding Co-Chair of the Human Resources Leadership Awards of Greater Washington and received the “Torchbearer Award” from Leadership Fairfax, Inc. He has been recognized as “Member of the Year” and “Committee Co-Chair of the Year” by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and as "Committee Co-Chair of the Year" by the Reston Chamber of Commerce. He is also a graduate of Leadership Fairfax Class of 1998.
For more information, contact TRAINING SOLUTIONS, Inc. at 703.318.0838 or e-mail Info@TrainingSolutions. com.
TRAINING SOLUTIONS, Inc.♦ P. O. Box 220100 ♦ Chantilly, VA 20153 ♦ 703-318-0838 ♦ 703-318-0921 (fax) www. TrainingSolutions. com ♦ Email: Info@TrainingSolutions. com
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