Comments Document
Chairwoman Sewell and Members of the Subcommittee,
My name is Jen Ocean. I am the Vice President of Training Operations and Client Engagement with Sprightbulb, a small business based in Arlington, Virginia that provides Agile training in the Commonwealth and to virtual students around the globe. I write today to urge you to support the passage of HB1995, which would exempt training organizations like Sprightbulb from the unnecessary regulatory oversight of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
At Sprightbulb, we deliver specialized non-degree professional development programs designed to prepare students for project management certifications within their careers, including credentials overseen by nationally recognized certifying organizations like the Scrum Alliance and Kanban University. Our training content, course duration (one to three days), and delivery methods are carefully aligned with the standards of the certifying bodies. Yet, the current requirement for SCHEV oversight on these types of programs creates significant, excessive administrative burdens for our small business.
HB1995 would remove the need for this oversight, enabling us to allocate more time and resources toward delivering high-quality training to our students. Since 2020, SCHEV compliance has collectively cost our business more than $24,000 in fees and hundreds of hours of labor. These expenses reflect only the costs for maintaining our SCHEV certification to operate, updating our programs and faculty information, and complying with changes to our physical training locations. These regulations have also dramatically increased the cost of doing business during a tumultuous period for professional development training. Virginia education code mandates that private postsecondary institutions of higher education collect and maintain enrollment agreements for all students, costing us thousands of dollars annually for digital contracting services to manage these agreements. We are also required to ensure students have access to a library of resources, akin to the services available at a university. We have a digital library to accommodate this, but the cost of maintaining this digital library is thousands of dollars annually. As a small business, managing these regulations diverts critical time and resources away from course development and delivery.
Exempting postsecondary institutions focused on project management training courses will help ensure Sprightbulb, and other similar small businesses, have more focus on providing accessible, relevant, and sustainable training to Virginia’s workforce without being encumbered by regulatory requirements. This bill is not only a positive step for Sprightbulb and other project management training providers but also for the students we serve, who will benefit from streamlined access to essential career development opportunities. Lastly, it will help ensure a more sustainable future operating in the Commonwealth.
Thank you, Madam Chair, and committee members, for your time and consideration. I urge you to support HB1995 and help improve workforce development opportunities in Virginia.
Jen Ocean
Vice President, Training Operations and Client Engagement
Sprightbulb
Comments Document
Chairwoman Sewell and Members of the Subcommittee, My name is Jen Ocean. I am the Vice President of Training Operations and Client Engagement with Sprightbulb, a small business based in Arlington, Virginia that provides Agile training in the Commonwealth and to virtual students around the globe. I write today to urge you to support the passage of HB1995, which would exempt training organizations like Sprightbulb from the unnecessary regulatory oversight of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). At Sprightbulb, we deliver specialized non-degree professional development programs designed to prepare students for project management certifications within their careers, including credentials overseen by nationally recognized certifying organizations like the Scrum Alliance and Kanban University. Our training content, course duration (one to three days), and delivery methods are carefully aligned with the standards of the certifying bodies. Yet, the current requirement for SCHEV oversight on these types of programs creates significant, excessive administrative burdens for our small business. HB1995 would remove the need for this oversight, enabling us to allocate more time and resources toward delivering high-quality training to our students. Since 2020, SCHEV compliance has collectively cost our business more than $24,000 in fees and hundreds of hours of labor. These expenses reflect only the costs for maintaining our SCHEV certification to operate, updating our programs and faculty information, and complying with changes to our physical training locations. These regulations have also dramatically increased the cost of doing business during a tumultuous period for professional development training. Virginia education code mandates that private postsecondary institutions of higher education collect and maintain enrollment agreements for all students, costing us thousands of dollars annually for digital contracting services to manage these agreements. We are also required to ensure students have access to a library of resources, akin to the services available at a university. We have a digital library to accommodate this, but the cost of maintaining this digital library is thousands of dollars annually. As a small business, managing these regulations diverts critical time and resources away from course development and delivery. Exempting postsecondary institutions focused on project management training courses will help ensure Sprightbulb, and other similar small businesses, have more focus on providing accessible, relevant, and sustainable training to Virginia’s workforce without being encumbered by regulatory requirements. This bill is not only a positive step for Sprightbulb and other project management training providers but also for the students we serve, who will benefit from streamlined access to essential career development opportunities. Lastly, it will help ensure a more sustainable future operating in the Commonwealth. Thank you, Madam Chair, and committee members, for your time and consideration. I urge you to support HB1995 and help improve workforce development opportunities in Virginia. Jen Ocean Vice President, Training Operations and Client Engagement Sprightbulb