Prince William County officials reviewed the results of a yearlong workforce development study on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, outlining how the county could take a more active role in connecting workers, employers, and training providers without duplicating existing services.
The presentation, delivered during the Dec. 16 Board of County Supervisors meeting, focused on findings from a $100,000 workforce study funded with American Rescue Plan Act economic recovery dollars and conducted by TIP Strategies.
County leaders are grappling with workforce challenges shaped by commuting patterns, shifting education requirements, and uncertainty tied to federal employment and contracting, which make up a significant part of Prince William’s economy. The study is intended to guide whether and how the county’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism should operate a workforce program that complements schools, colleges, and regional partners.
Staff from the Department of Economic Development and Tourism said the study examined Prince William County’s workforce ecosystem through stakeholder engagement, labor force and demographic analysis, and job demand trends.
The findings indicated continued population growth, substantial local employment gains relative to the broader Northern Virginia region, and rising demand for middle-skill and technical occupations. More than half of recent job postings analyzed required education below a bachelor’s degree, according to the presentation.
Christina Winn, director of economic development and tourism, said the county’s goal was to define a clear role rather than compete with existing programs.
“If we’re going to be in this space, what should we focus on? We didn’t want to duplicate services,” Winn said.
She said the county allocated $100,000 in ARPA funding to commission the study.
Supervisor Questions
Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny A. Boddye questioned the study’s timing and its ability to reflect rapidly changing workforce conditions, particularly those tied to federal employment.
He noted that workforce data can quickly become outdated due to major disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic and federal-level changes.
“Each one of those is a snapshot of certain workforce trends that can’t really be correlated to even just two or three years before that,” Boddye said.
Boddye emphasized Prince William County’s reliance on federal workers and contractors and asked how federal workforce transitions, including layoffs or career shifts, were accounted for in the study. He also wondered whether Prince William County Public Schools had been involved.
Responses from Staff and Consultants
Winn said the consultant was procured in August 2024 and that the study took nearly a year to complete. She said the full written report and workforce data dashboards would be distributed to the Board following the meeting and would allow the county to monitor trends over time.
She added that some federal workforce impacts may not yet be fully reflected in the available data, but stakeholder conversations indicated increased demand for workforce transition services. Regional reskilling efforts, including partnerships with Northern Virginia Community College, were cited as areas for future collaboration.
Presenters also confirmed that Prince William County Public Schools participated in the study, including involvement from the division’s director of career and technical education and participation in focus groups.
Winn announced that Michelle Weatherly will return to the county as its first Workforce Development Manager to lead implementation of the study’s recommendations. She was the county’s director of workforce development until September 2024.
According to staff, Weatherly will work to reconnect workforce initiatives, such as Elevate, and coordinate job and career fairs as the county builds capacity.
County staff plan to distribute the whole workforce study report and data dashboards to supervisors following the meeting. The county will onboard a Workforce Development Manager and gradually implement recommended strategies as resources allow. No votes were taken, and no formal action was required, as the item was a presentation only.
