The Shadow
RICHMOND, VA (VR) – Governor Glenn Youngkin remarked on new application data from the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) reporting that the Board of Contractors is on track to receive more than 14,000 new applications this year from contractors and tradesmen applying for licensure in the Commonwealth. The projected number is a ten percent increase from 2024 and nearly double the application volume handled a decade ago.
“Contractors and tradesmen know that opportunity thrives in Virginia,” said Governor Youngkin. “With record investment in the Commonwealth across industries, Virginia isn’t just competing to win, Virginia is winning! To everyone who is looking to start the next great chapter in their professional career: Virginia is the place to build your future.”
“The increase in license applications, especially in skilled and high skilled trades, is more proof and validation that trades jobs offer long term, well paying, family sustaining careers,” said Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater. “In many of these fields, Registered Apprenticeships provide opportunities where someone will train you, pay to train you, pay you while they are training you, and likely give you a job when they are done training you, all without $50,000 or $100,000 dollars in student debt when you are done. This is also proof that our universal license recognition program is growing by leaps and bounds, with over 1,100 individuals coming from other states to get licensed and work in Virginia. Virginia is open for business!”
“Every one of the 323,000 licenses issued by the agency represents an opportunity for an individual to earn a living and make a difference in their community,” said Brian Wolford, Director of Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. “I am proud to serve alongside a team that continually delivers excellence in meeting the needs of Virginia’s workforce.”
The record number of licensure applications is the latest sign of robust investment in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The news comes after Governor Youngkin announced more than $100 billion in capital investment has come to Virginia since he took office and two months after Moody’s Ratings reaffirmed Virginia’s AAA-bond status, citing Virginia’s healthy balance sheet, strong liquidity, below average liabilities, conservative fiscal management and prudent stewardship of taxpayer dollars in their decision. The flurry of economic activity in Virginia is a testament to Virginia’s status as the top state for business.
