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 – Empowering Students,
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    Supporting Futures!

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Virginia Career Education Foundation

Five Pillars of Key Benefits VCEF Strives to Provide for Virginians

Career-Ready Education:

  • Equip students with essential academic, technical, and employability skills to thrive in high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers.

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Workforce Alignment:

  • Align Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs with job market needs, ensuring students are prepared for real-world opportunities.

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Collaborative Partnerships:

  • Foster partnerships between schools, employers, government, and communities to create seamless pathways from education to employment.

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Access and Opportunity:

  • Promote equity by connecting underserved populations to certifications, training, and resources for lifelong career success.

Research-Driven Innovation:

  • Utilize data and analytics to improve CTE programs, measure outcomes, and develop strategies that enhance workforce readiness.

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Virginia Workforce Innovation Partnership (VWIP)

VCEF Innovation: Industry-Based Framework for High-Growth Workforce Partnerships in Virginia

The Virginia Career Education Foundation (VCEF) is currently collaborating with industry partners to develop an industry-based framework aimed at fostering high-growth, high-demand workforce partnerships in Virginia.  This initiative integrates research, innovative practices, and strategic partnerships to align Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs with the needs of employers in fields like cybersecurity, ICT (Information and Communications Technology), and emerging technologies.

Key Program Objectives

Align Education with Workforce Needs:

1

  • Harmonize student assessment with regional employment requirements, ensuring career-ready skills for high-demand industries.
  • Develop instructional plans and industry-approved certifications that foster problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork.

Foster Industry Collaboration:

2

  • Build transformational partnerships with Virginia Community Colleges,  Colleges and Universities and other Institutions and NGOs.
  • Create pathways for post-secondary apprenticeships and workforce-ready certifications.

Promote Equity and Accessibility:

3

  • Address gaps in access to education and employment opportunities for minority students and underserved communities.
  • Focus on developing industry-recognized credentials at the secondary and post-secondary levels to ensure workforce readiness.

Advance Research and Innovation:

4

  • Utilize evidence-based and industry-focused methodologies to inform CTE program improvements.
  • Introduce design-based research models that improve instructional delivery and program outcomes.

Build Resilient Communities:

5

  • Leverage partnerships and policies to create job opportunities that promote community growth and economic development.

  • Focus on workforce solutions that integrate education, industry, and government stakeholders.

VCEF Mission

The Virginia Career Education Foundation (VCEF) is a non-stock partnership organization that brings together business/industry, government and education stakeholders.  United to promote the benefits of career and technical programs, VCEF is engaged in broadband and infrastructure talent pipeline programs to enhance Virginia's future workforce.  By connecting viable career and technical programs to job market requirements VCEF brings the future to light.


Bridging Education and Employment with Government,
Academia, Industry, and Community Collaboration

Empowering Stakeholders: Bridging Education and Employment

Virginia Parents

Virginia Students

CTE Directors & Guidance Counselors

Connecting students, parents, educators, and employers through tailored pathways and programs to meet workforce demands and ensure career success.

Industry Employers, Unions & Associations

Academic Stakeholders

Government (Local, State, Federal) Stakeholders

Building Pathways to Success: Integrating STEM and CTE for Virginia's Workforce Future

Career & Technical Education

Today’s cutting-edge, rigorous and relevant career and technical education (CTE) prepares youth and adults for a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers.  CTE includes high schools, career centers, community and technical colleges, four-year universities and more.
We know our CTE Educators in VA can prepare students to be college- and career-ready by providing core academic skills, employability skills and technical, job-specific skills.
VCEF works to further the aims and purposes of CTE in the Commonwealth of Virginia while promoting high standards and strong academic achievement for all Virginia Students.

Advancing Careers Through STEM-CTE Integration

The Virginia Career Education Foundation (VCEF) champions the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) with Career and Technical Education (CTE) to prepare students for high-demand careers. By combining STEM’s focus on innovation with CTE’s hands-on learning, VCEF creates comprehensive pathways that bridge education and the workforce.
This integration equips students with critical thinking, technical skills, and real-world experience, preparing them for fields like cybersecurity, ICT, and advanced manufacturing. Partnerships with employers, community colleges, and HBCUs ensure access to resources and mentorship, particularly for underrepresented students, promoting equity in STEM opportunities.
Parents and guidance counselors gain confidence in clear career pathways, while employers benefit from a pipeline of skilled, job-ready talent. VCEF’s STEM-CTE initiatives strengthen Virginia’s economic ecosystem, aligning education with industry needs to drive workforce readiness, innovation, and social progress for a sustainable future.