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Just over one year after the official launch of its workinnorthernvirginia.com website and accompanying talent initiative funded by the Fairfax County government, the site created by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) has logged more than 483,000 visitors and 72,000 job views.

The website connects a new and diverse talent pool – in Northern Virginia and in key target markets such as the Bay Area and New York City – with companies in the region. Additionally, it provides incoming talent with the information and tools needed to make informed relocation decisions, and serves as a home for the FCEDA’s talent attraction and talent retention marketing initiatives, from virtual career fairs to success stories.

“We are thrilled to have already connected thousands of job seekers from across the nation with hiring companies in our region, but this is only the beginning,” said Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the FCEDA. “As we accelerate our economic recovery following the pandemic, Northern Virginia and the entire Washington, D.C., region are collaborating to secure a bright future for our workers, employers and economy. We have built a strong foundation, so now we look forward to expanding and further elevating the talent initiative in the months and years to come.”

Launched in collaboration with the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance (NOVA EDA), the site this morning lists more than 121,000 job opportunities from innovative local companies in industries ranging from cybersecurity to aerospace and healthcare, and industry leaders such as Amazon and Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Leidos and Northrop Grumman.

The talent website has become a one-stop career resource for talent to learn more about Northern Virginia communities and the tens of thousands of positions on offer in the region. Since launching, the number of open jobs featured on the site has expanded to include more than 100,000 routinely.

In addition to displaying job opportunities, workinnorthernvirginia.com serves as a digital hub for the FCEDA’s initiative funded by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to attract, retain, retrain and grow talent that businesses need to grow and succeed here.

The website features a cost-of-living calculator, a commuting tool, a neighborhood quiz to help relocating talent learn more about Northern Virginia’s diverse living options, an interactive map that showcases the density of top employers in the area, and a wealth of information on local upskilling programs and resources. A robust digital marketing campaign has driven traffic to the website.

The talent initiative has featured a series of virtual career fairs that have focused on different segments of the job market, from entry-level jobs for recent college graduates to open positions in cyber and cloud for mid-career technology professionals. In total, five career fairs have attracted 3,470 attendees and resulted in more than 7,000 completed conversations between job seekers and hiring representatives.

Together with two more virtual career fairs that the FCEDA sponsored, the events have involved more than 500 recruiters from 170 businesses ranging from Fortune 500 firms to small and minority-owned firms. Some 100 colleges and universities also have been involved, including 40 historically black institutions of higher learning. Partners also have included organizations that promote diversity and inclusion in hiring, such as Women Who Code, BDPA-African American STEM Association, NOVA Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services.

“Fairfax County funded the Economic Development Authority’s talent initiative to build awareness of the thousands of open jobs here and the quality of life that people can enjoy in Northern Virginia. I am pleased to see after a year of investment, the success we are having in growing our talent pool,” said Jeffrey C. McKay, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. “Particularly as many look for a new start or a change in careers, this is an excellent way to spotlight the spectrum of career opportunities and lifestyles that we have here and support the businesses that make Fairfax County so attractive to businesses.”

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Virginia ranks #1 state for business climate, tech-talent pipeline

Virginia ranks as the “Best Business Climate” and the “Top Tech Talent Pipeline” in the nation, according to Business Facilities’ 17th Annual Rankings Report, released this week. Home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world, Virginia also tops the magazine’s “Cybersecurity Leaders” chart.

“Virginia has undertaken the most impressive effort in the U.S. to fill the national shortage of skilled workers in the data-centric sectors that are driving economic growth in the 21st century,” said Jack Rogers, editor-in-chief of Business Facilities.

“World-class universities are partnering with industry giants to add thousands of new computer science grads to Virginia’s rapidly expanding tech workforce. This combination positions Virginia to defend its tech talent pipeline leadership for years to come,” Rogers added.

California, New York, North Carolina and Maryland round out the top five, respectively, in Business Facilities’ new Tech Talent Pipeline state ranking, which evaluates each state’s tech talent investments, STEM-oriented education programs and partnerships between industry, universities and EDOs, among other weighted factors.

Business Facilities noted that Virginia is injecting more than $2 billion into a Tech Talent Investment Program that cumulatively represents the largest state commitment to computer science education, aiming to create an additional 31,000 computer science graduates in the Commonwealth while strengthening computer science programs at the elementary and secondary school levels.

Click here to download the full report.

July 29, 2021