Fairfax County leaders on Tuesday (Oct. 28) added another tool to address the economic impacts of the recent federal worker layoffs under the Trump administration.
The Board of Supervisors approved $150,000 in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (Virginia Works) in support of a new initiative known as Talent Up Northern Virginia.
Building on a similar effort started in Fairfax County to help workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the program will give job-seekers tools and support services to transition to high-demand fields.
“Despite the positive labor market trend in recent years, ongoing federal workforce reductions pose a significant economic challenge in Northern Virginia, which requires a multipronged service approach,” county staff said in a memo to the board.
More from the staff report:
“Talent Up Northern Virginia aims to assist individuals impacted by recent federal policy changes and career shifts by matching them with regional employers in high demand fields like IT, health care and business. The program offers employers a risk-free way to evaluate talent via internships, with participants earning at least $30 per hour. Over a 12-month period, the initiative targets enrolling 35 jobseekers, placing 28 into internships, and securing permanent employment for 23 of them at a minimum of $35 per hour.”
Fairfax County is part of the Virginia Career Works Northern (VCWN) region, which also serves Loudoun and Prince William counties and the cities of Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.
The Fairfax County government will administer the grant funding and partner with SkillSource Group on delivering services across the VCWN region, which totals 2.1 million people — more than a quarter of the state’s population.
Those who live in the participating localities and are displaced federal workers or contractors laid off on or after Jan. 24 are eligible to apply for the participation.
The county government will provide in-kind services but no cash in support of the effort. Funding will be available through June 2026, and local officials will have no obligation to provide additional support once the state grant expires.
The county previously initiated a pilot program in 2023 called Talent Up Fairfax to match job-seekers displaced by the pandemic’s economic impacts with private-sector employers looking to fill staffing gaps.
The new regional initiative will build on experiences from that effort, staff said in the memo to supervisors.
