The Workforce Development Division of the Virginia Manufacturers Association

VCATS today: The Virginia Council on Advanced Technology (VCATS), VMA’s Workforce Development Division, is here to help meet Virginia’s present and future needs for skilled technical workers by setting the standard for success in industry. As Virginia’s only competency-based industry-endorsed workforce training and certification organization, VCATS provides a customized fast track pathway to credentials for a 21st Century advanced technology career. The VCATS training and certification system, designed and validated by industry partners, is intended to develop a workforce pipeline capable of meeting the cutting-edge requirements of existing and emerging employers in advanced technology fields, such as pharmaceutical, biotech and biomedical, chemical, advanced materials, plastics and semiconductor manufacturing. This is done by assessing an individual’s technical skills in 12 critical areas and providing online or instructor-led training opportunities to address identified technical skill gaps. An assessment is also available for 6 critical soft skill areas. Manufacturing Specialist and Manufacturing Technician Level 1 certifications are currently available, with Manufacturing Technician Level 2 and additional levels of specialization in development.

The VCATS curriculum is a tiered system designed, validated and utilized by industry as well as customized and regularly updated to meet changing demands. Employers partner with VCATS to design, prototype, test and refine innovative solutions to training that are then scaled up to meet Virginia's advanced manufacturing workforce needs. VCATS and its training partners assess, train and certify individuals across Virginia. Employers and their associations publicize these solutions and seek legislative support for replicating and embedding these designs in Virginia's training institutions, workplaces and career centers.

The History of VCATS: In 2007, the Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA) and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VA Bio) were awarded a President's High Growth Job Training Initiative, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. This three-year grant was utilized to establish a workforce development training and certification organization called the Virginia Council on Advanced Technology Skills (VCATS). This organization was tasked with establishing workforce development solutions to the impending shortage of advanced manufacturing workers in Virginia. Upon completion of the grant in 2010, VCATS transitioned to the VMA and became its Workforce Development Division.

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