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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Workforce Development

It’s time for Richmond to up the ante by attracting, retaining, and supporting businesses that create the job opportunities that Richmonders deserve. As Mayor, Mosby will usher in a full-employment era, in which businesses and workers thrive in equal measure.

This period of economic growth paired with good-paying jobs will improve the performance of businesses big and small, lower the crime rate, improve mental health, and create a stronger sense of community across Richmond.

A Mosby administration will promote equitable, pro-growth policies that support Richmonds small businesses and key industries – because it’s the only way we’ll tackle income inequality and our city’s affordability crisis.

As Mayor, Mosby will invest in jobs, industries and communities that will drive Richmonds economic future – and she will leverage her experience and relationships at the state and federal levels to bring funding to Richmond that supports that vision. Her plan will result in a safer, stronger, and more equitable Richmond.

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RICHMOND WILL BE OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Mosby believes that if we are ever going to tackle income equality and create economic opportunity for all Richmonders, we need to support responsible businesses – small and large – that create good-paying jobs. As Mayor, she will create the conditions for success by making clear from the very top that the City of Richmond is open for business.

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Create a New Real Estate Division in a Strengthened Economic and Workforce Development Department:

  • Mayor Mosby will provide The Department of Economic Development, The Office of Community Wealth Building and The Office of Minority Business Development with the resources they need to work together in attracting and retaining businesses, and training Richmonders to reenter the workforce. Mapping out and defining the respective responsibilities and identifying areas where interdepartmental work is necessary will help increase efficiencies.

  • Mosby will also explore the need to create a new Real Estate division within the department to strategically manage Richmonds extensive real estate portfolio. Too often, city-owned assets and land are underutilized or sit vacant for years.

  • Mosby will recruit the best and brightest minds in real estate to leverage our existing assets. Paired with smart land use planning, this strategic approach can help us build new housing, parks and community infrastructure – while simultaneously driving revenue to our city budget. Currently the city does not process resident billing in house.

 
Launch a Jobs and Economy Cabinet and Empower a liason:

  • Mosby has always based policy around the direct needs of Richmond residents. In that tradition, she will launch a diverse Jobs and Economy Cabinet to hear directly from the business community about the challenges they face, and to support a pro-jobs agenda. This will not be a ceremonial body – it will help direct the mayor’s policy agenda. Mosby will first task her Jobs and Economy Cabinet with completing a comprehensive review of local ordinances and policies with the goal of proposing alternatives or replacing those that prevent economic growth.

  • The Jobs and Economy Cabinet will also advise on ways the city can attract private investment, corporate headquarters and the jobs that come with them, skilled talent, and strategies to better integrate into the global economy.

  • As Mayor, Mosby will empower a liason to act as a strong voice for the business community and economic growth in City Hall. This appointee will provide communication between the city’s economic development, minority business and office of community wealth building entities and ensure that all economic development activities advance a citywide strategy.

 
Consolidate City Procurement to Save Taxpayer Dollars:

  • As Mayor, Mosby will task the procurement with streamlining and centralizing procurement processes. With this approach, we can leverage Richmonds buying power to drive down costs and save taxpayer dollars.

 
Expand Procurement Opportunities for Local Small Businesses:

  • Mosby will strengthen our procurement department and reevaluate the bidding system so that they will be dedicated to helping small businesses – as well as minority and women-owned businesses – navigate the city’s procurement process. We need to do everything in our power to keep businesses local.

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INVEST IN JOBS AND INDUSTRIES

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. There are more than two hundred thousand people in Richmond. – a majority of Richmonders – work for businesses with fewer than 100 employees. As Mayor, Mosby will increase access to capital and technical assistance, cut burdensome regulations, and promote new opportunities for underrepresented businesses and entrepreneurs. Mosby understands we cannot grow our economy based on small businesses alone. Richmonds legacy and emerging industries like entertainment, tech, life sciences, manufacturing and healthcare represent our city’s anchor tenants and economic drivers and will be key to our growth. Mosby will champion these industries and ensure they can thrive as good corporate citizens.

 
Make it Easier for Small and Minority-Owned Businesses to Do Business with Richmond:

  • As Mayor, Mosby will streamline the process – and expand eligibility – for small and minority-owned businesses to receive certification with the city, and she will partner with community organizations to assist small businesses through the process. We need to make it simpler for minority, disadvantaged, LGBT, women and veteran-owned businesses to do business with the City of Richmond.

  • Mosby knows that certification doesn’t mean much if small businesses never win city bids. Mosby will explore innovative techniques – like unbundling city contracts – to ensure that more small businesses have a shot at winning the bid.

Order a Full-Scale Review of Regulations Within 180 Days, Cut Burdensome Regulations​

  • As Mayor, Mosby will meet with every dept director and request them to do a thorough review within 180 days of all the taxes, fees, fines, licenses, and regulations that may impede the creation, investment, and growth of businesses in Richmond. While we will always maintain regulations that protect workers and consumers, we need to get rid of outdated or unnecessary rules and regulations that stifle entrepreneurship.

  • She will also work with those in our permitting department to continue to improve technology and make permanent some of the good things that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic – like allowing business owners to file documents electronically.

Ensure All Communities Thrive in the Clean Economy:​

As Mayor, she will drive climate investments – as well as ongoing state and federal infrastructure programs – to ensure equitable access to employment, and close race and gender gaps. She will partner with communities, workers, and industries to reimagine local, clean economies as inclusive drivers of job creation, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

As Mayor, Mosby will promote a comprehensive, regional approach to workforce development anchored by deep partnerships with community-based organizations, workers, educational institutions, and every sector of the clean economy.
Evaluate and Strengthen Workforce Development:

  • Mosby understands the stakes are too high to maintain the status quo. Mosby will bring together industry, K-12, higher education and community leaders to address the critical need for highly trained employees in the new economy.

  • Mosby will start with a simple, fundamental question: What do business leaders actually need from their employees? And then she’ll build a workforce and economic plan of action that meets the critical needs of today’s workforce, especially for those with high barriers to obtaining a high-wage job. She will build upon and strengthen the disparate pieces of the system to strengthen the skills and work readiness of the whole workforce.

  • She will transform our workforce development system so that we’re training Richmonders for the jobs of the future, and she’ll work to ensure that Richmond employers hire locally.

  • Our workforce programs should not be satisfied by measuring how many people they have trained. Mosby will measure our success by how many people we’ve actually placed into quality jobs.

Create Industry-Led Career Pipelines:

  • Richmonds greatest asset is its human capital but too often, industry leaders are forced to import talent from outside Richmond. With so much untapped talent here at home, Mosby will partner with industries to create career pipelines, funneling talented Richmonders to high wage jobs in emerging and mature industries.

  • Nearly 25 percent of adults over the age of 25 in Richmond do not have a high school diploma and nearly 20 percent only have a high school diploma. That means 45 percent of Richmonders are currently excluded from the jobs of the future that require post-high school certification or training.

  • Mosby will build partnerships with RPS, Richmonds community colleges, and four-year universities to help young people access the kind of social capital and professional network that facilitate professional growth.

  • Mosby will mobilize Richmonds higher education institutions to recruit, train and deploy tutors to help middle and high school students that have fallen behind because of distance learning.

  • Mosby will support and strengthen commitments from private sector leaders to hire richmond-grown talent, linking our young people and college graduates to local jobs. She will focus particular attention on connecting Richmonds fastest growing and legacy industries to youth, especially from neighborhoods with high unemployment.

INVEST IN COMMUNITIES

Ultimately, the things that employers look for are the same things all Richmonders want and deserve safe and clean neighborhoods, a quality education system, affordable housing and world-class infrastructure.

Promote the Expansion of Fast, Affordable and Reliable Internet to All Richmond Communities:

In the post-COVID world, high-speed internet is the gateway to economic opportunity. Access to the internet isn’t just critical for work – it’s increasingly how healthcare is delivered and how people access their government. During COVID, we have also seen an explosion of home-based businesses that rely on speedy internet connections. Tapping inro federal and state resources to expand internet access, Mosby will strengthen the city’s efforts to improve broadband connectivity to residents and businesses. All Richmonders, regardless of the zip code they live in, should have access to fast, affordable and reliable internet.

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Mosby Believes Together We Can Change Our Workforce Narrative!

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