Fourth Quarter 2025

Virginia: Investing in its talent and workforce

A look into the Commonwealth’s
talent infrastructure and investments
in its workforce

Highlights From the Issue

FastForward Program Participant

Workforce Training at the Speed of Industry

Virginia’s FastForward program offers locally relevant job training and certifications – efficiently and affordably

George Mason students working with technology

Virginia Works to Meet the Tech Moment

Key investments at Virginia Tech, George Mason, University of Virginia help the Commonwealth position itself as a home for AI Innovation

Chalk outlines of Xs and Os similar to a game play design

Inside Virginia’s Push to Become the Top State for Talent

Talent attraction, educational alignment, reducing barriers to employment among key issues

Julia Boas Headshot

We’ve got this brand that people know as an outdoor destination. When they come here, they also need to know we have good jobs and places for them to live so they can get ingrained in the community quickly. 

Julia Boas

Director of Business Development, Roanoke Regional Partnership

Facts & Figures

Regional Spotlight

Northern Virginia:

A Business & Talent Hotbed by the Nations Capital

Northern Virginia, home to one-third of Virginia’s population, comprises the areas surrounding Washington, D.C. It is the Commonwealth’s highest-income region and among the wealthiest in the nation: the 2020 U.S. Census ranked Loudoun County and Falls Church first and second in median household income nationwide, with Arlington County seventh. Northern Virginia is also a major economic hub, hosting 15 Fortune 500 headquarters—three-quarters of the Washington metro area’s total—and a strong concentration of government contracting, defense, IT, data centers, and biotechnology industries.

Past Issues

Virginia: Where goods, information, and people converge

Third Quarter 2025

This issue takes an in-depth look at Virginia’s infrastructure and the investments the Commonwealth makes to improve it.

The Livability Issue, Second Quarter 2025 of the Virginia Economic Review

Second Quarter 2025

This issue celebrates all of the unique factors that contribute to Virginia’s unbeatable quality of life.

Creating Cybersecurity's Next Era

First Quarter 2025

This issue explores the robust cybersecurity industry in Virginia and the factors that make the Commonwealth a leader in this crucial industry.

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