Coalition of Virginia businesses and community colleges to combat COVID-19 job losses by equipping workers for in-demand jobs
Danville Community College (DCC), as an extension of the FastForward workforce initiative, joins with the Virginia Ready Initiative (VA Ready) in conjunction with the Virginia Community College System to provide additional support and incentive for community members who have been laid off due to COVID-19 to retrain and return to work in high-demand fields.
VA Ready is a newly established nonprofit organization formed in response to the economic hardships created by COVID-19. Recently, VA Ready announced details of its plan to help thousands of unemployed Virginians access the training needed to get back to work.
“Danville Community College offers a robust array of workforce training, right here in our hometown,” said Jimmie Tickle, associate vice president of workforce services for DCC. “From welding to plumbing and certified nursing assistant to Cisco networking technician, we are proud to be able to extend these programs to the members of our community who may be struggling with job loss during these trying times.”
Programs Included in the VA Ready initiative include:
• Cisco Networking Technician
• CompTIA A+
• CompTIA Network+
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• Welding
• CDL License A
• Electrical and Electrical Systems
• Plumbing
VA Ready and its partners - 20 of the Commonwealth’s leading businesses - provide incentives for motivated, out-of-work Virginians to reskill for in-demand jobs in high-growth sectors. Upon achieving their new credentials, “VA Ready Scholars” receive a $1,000 Credential Achievement Award and are offered opportunities to interview at many of Virginia’s best companies.
Funded through philanthropic donations and company contributions, VA Ready recognizes and rewards student initiative to gain new skills.
In addition to supporting credential earners with financial incentives, VA Ready business partners, through the VA Ready Talent Task Force, will consult with college leaders to ensure that program offerings and curricula remain focused and relevant to rapidly evolving industry needs. They also participate in the VA Ready Job Exchange and provide job interview opportunities to VA Ready Scholars.
Out-of-work Virginians with ambition to gain new skills can enroll in VA Ready’s first cohort of VA Ready Scholars for Danville Community College programs beginning after August 1.
“We are proud to work within the Virginia Community College System and alongside VA Ready to make workforce training more accessible, more affordable, and more attainable than ever before,” said Jacqueline Gill Powell, president of DCC. “Now, more than ever, we want to do anything and everything we can to support individuals who want to retrain and re-enter the workforce.”
For more information on VA Ready, including how to apply, visit www.vaready.org.
About The Virginia Ready Initiative (VA Ready)
VA Ready, a newly established nonprofit organization formed in response to the economic hardships created by COVID-19, is a dynamic partnership with 20 of the Commonwealth’s leading businesses and the Virginia Community College System’s 23 community colleges, to retrain and equip out of work Virginians who want to gain the required skills for in-demand jobs in high-growth sectors.
About Virginia’s Community Colleges
Since 1966, Virginia’s Community Colleges have given everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills so lives and communities are strengthened. By making higher education and workforce training available in every part of Virginia, we elevate all of Virginia. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than 280,000 students each year. For more information, please visit www.vccs.edu.
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