Governor Cuts Ribbon On Expanded Hampton Roads Career Center

NORFOLK
Governor Terry McAuliffe recently celebrated the redesign and expansion of the Opportunity, Inc., Hampton Roads One Stop Career Center in Norfolk during a ceremonial ribbon cutting. The revamped center will feature new and enhanced career services, tutoring programs, and financial literacy training at the existing One Stop Career Center in Norfolk, as well as the Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Franklin affiliate sites. The improved system is designed to create a more streamlined and seamless approach to the delivery of services to job seekers in the region. 

“In order to build the workforce we need for the new Virginia economy, we must make every tool and resource available to Virginians who are looking to find employment, switch jobs or advance in their careers,” said Governor McAuliffe at the event. 

The expansion included a new Hampton Roads Veterans Employment Center, which will provide individual assistance to military veterans and their families. The new center will help veterans identify, navigate, and access services and resources to attain their employment goals and support their successful transition into the civilian workforce.

Multiple state agencies have collaborated to improve service access for job seekers and employers and streamline service delivery. The Virginia Employment Commission plays a lead role in this endeavor and has realized more than $1 million in cost savings by executing a collocation strategy that makes the agency an anchor tenant in One Stop Careers Centers across the Commonwealth.  Critical partners in the effort to establish the improved center in the Hampton Roads Region include: the Opportunity Inc. Hampton Roads Workforce Development Board, Virginia Employment Commission, Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Community College System, Department of Veterans Services, and Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services.

“This is a groundbreaking collaborative project for the Hampton Roads region, and we are pleased to help facilitate this effort,” said Shawn Avery, President & CEO, Opportunity Inc.
Opportunity Inc. assists businesses in accessing qualified workers and jobseekers in search of suitable job openings and training opportunities to bolster their earning potential.