The Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) is now providing tradesman and contractor applications and licensing exams in Spanish, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.
“This is a big step towards addressing a critical need and creating opportunities for Spanish-speaking Virginians to enter the workforce and start their own business,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said. “DPOR’s efforts will better serve the Hispanic and Latino community, which represents a large, diverse and vital part of the Commonwealth.”
Youngkin’s release says there’s steady growth in the number of Hispanic workers in Virginia’s economy, and cites U.S. Department of Labor statistics saying that Hispanics are expected to comprise 78 percent of net new workers in 2020 through 2030.
“Providing exams and other essential documents in Spanish will help fill high-demand building and construction jobs,” Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater said in Youngkin’s release. “This is also a great example of our responsiveness to industry as well as the Hispanic and Latino community, who have been bringing this need to my attention as I have traveled across the state.”
The Associated General Contractors of Virginia (AGCVA) praised the change, which a spokesperson said would help address construction industry workforce shortages.
“We are tracking to have a craft professional demand of over 250,000 people by the year 2026 in the commonwealth. Virginia leaders taking the initiative to expand business resources to our Spanish-speaking Virginians is a practical step to encourage workforce growth and close the current skills gap,” the AGCVA told The Virginia Star.
The AGCVA is lobbying Youngkin’s administration to make it easier to enter construction careers with multiple pathways to success by promoting positive perceptions about those careers, and by prioritizing career and technical education.
“AGCVA believes that actions that accommodate a more diverse workforce is imperative to battling the widespread workforce crisis. We hope to see continued movement in this direction like offering the applications in Spanish, as well as other languages to further streamline this process,” the association said.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Photo” by Michael Burrows.
