Find resources to help you get started in your next career
Workforce Development Services offers training programs, coaching and credentialing options that will prepare you for your next career move.
Where do I start?
Evaluate your skills, talents and interests. Connect with a coach to help you achieve your career goals and learn which jobs are growing in your region.
Career Assessments
Tools to help you understand your talents, interests and aptitudes.
Coaching Services
Guiding you to career success, one step at a time.
Seeking to become an educator?
Career switchers can achieve their goals through the VCCS.
Veterans and Foster Youth
We have nationally recognized programs that help Virginia’s veterans and foster youth earn the postsecondary credentials they need to enter new careers or transition into the civilian workforce and independent lives.
Veterans
The following community colleges have special centers dedicated to military and veteran’s education, including professional development, continuing education and certification programs.
Tidewater Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Thomas Nelson Community College
Germanna Community College
Foster Youth
The Great Expectations program helps Virginia’s foster youth complete high school, gain access to a community college education and transition successfully from the foster care system to living independently. The program is currently at 18 of Virginia’s Community Colleges.
Cost Info & Other Assistance
Financial Aid
The Financial Assistance for Noncredit Training Leading to Industry Recognized Credentials program provides funding for students demonstrating financial need who are enrolled in an approved noncredit workforce training program leading to the attainment of an industry recognized credential or licensure.
Workforce Services Locator
Enter your zip code and get a comprehensive list of workforce partners in your area to contact. This includes your local One-Stop Center (where you may be eligible for free job planning services), your local Virginia Community College and more.
We have options for everyone
Whether you need short-term career training, certification/licensure prep, a GED, or professional development, Virginia’s Community Colleges can help you achieve your job goals. Check out our opportunities below.
FastForward
FastForward workforce credential training programs at Virginia’s Community Colleges prepare people and businesses to succeed in the 21st century marketplace. Virginia employers need workers with technical skills that require some post-high school training but not necessarily traditional college degrees. The Commonwealth is responding with expanded training opportunities for in-demand industry-recognized credentials, and a multi-million dollar grant program to encourage more Virginians to train for those workforce skills. Learn More
Career Readiness Certificates
Virginia’s Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) program provides a simple, low cost tool for individuals to document their workplace skills and for employers to match those skills to fill their open positions. The CRC matches the RIGHT PEOPLE with the RIGHT JOBS. Learn More
Middle College
Middle College is designed to help 18 to 24-year olds earn their GED while simultaneously developing the skills they need for a rewarding career. Learn More
Boosting Confidence
“The WorkKeys® test results did the magic and I was hired very easily in a fast growing German company. I absolutely love my new job and appreciate WorkKeys® for helping me gain confidence in myself and impact a change in my career.” – CRC Examinee
Matching the RIGHT PEOPLE to the RIGHT JOBS
Virginia’s Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) program provides a simple, low cost tool for individuals to document their workplace skills and for employers to match those skills to fill their open positions.
The Career Readiness Certificate is based on WorkKeys® Assessments, part of ACT’s Work Readiness System assessment system developed by ACT, an international leader in assessments, research, and solutions in education and workforce development for over 50 years.
What is ACT WorkKeys?
ACT WorkKeys® is a job skills assessment system that helps employers select, hire, train, develop, and retain a high-performance workforce. The series of tests measures foundational and soft skills and offers specialized assessments to target institutional needs. Successful completion of ACT WorkKeys® assessments in Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information may lead to earning the Virginia Career Readiness Certificate, a portable, standardized credential.
The Commonwealth of Virginia is implementing ACT’s Work Ready Communities (www.workreadycommunities.com) through a local or regional economic development approach. The Certified Work Ready Community program works in concert with the National Career Readiness Certificate and serves as a validating tool that a community has a skilled labor force for targeting industries.
Where to earn the Career Readiness Certificate?
The Career Readiness Certificate may be earned through any of Virginia’s Community Colleges or Virginia’s Workforce Centers. By contacting these locations, you may learn more about taking the assessment and your options for preparing to take the assessments and/or brushing up on skills if needed.
Certificate Levels
Bronze Certification
16%
Percentage of jobs a recipient possesses skills that support success.
Silver Certification
67%
Percentage of jobs a recipient possesses skills that support success.
Gold Certification
93%
Percentage of jobs a recipient possesses skills that support success.
Career Seekers
For the career seeker, obtaining a CRC will:
- Certify foundational workplace skills
- Provide employers with additional insight into your qualifications
- Give an advantage over other job applicants who have not demonstrated needed skills
- Build confidence that skills meet the needs of local employers
- Enhance employability and set the stage for possible career advancement
Businesses
The CRC can assist employers and trainers to:
- Decrease turnover, overtime and waste
- Take the “guesswork” out of the selection process
- Identify gaps between student skills and employment needs
- Meet ISO 9000 standards
- Gain more efficiency from your training practices
- Improve participants’ success and increase the bottom line
Testimonials
The WorkKeys® test results did the magic and I was hired very easily in a fast growing German company. I absolutely love my new job and appreciate WorkKeys® for helping me gain confidence in myself and impact a change in my career.
CRC Examinee
Blue Ridge Community College has become a valued partner in raising the skill and knowledge levels of our current and future workforce. We are proud to partner with BRCC in developing a workforce equipped to face the challenges ahead in our local and regional economy.
Jeff Stapel, Human Resources Manager
CRC Administration
Contact
JaJuana Campbell, Executive Coordinator
jcampbell@vccs.edu
(804) 819-1690
You don’t have to do it alone!
Career Coaches at all of Virginia’s Community Colleges can help you determine your career path, apply for classes, obtain financial aid, and much more. Continue reading for more information.
Adult Career Coaches
Virginia’s Community College Adult Career Coaches assist community college students, adult education students and One-Stop Career Center clients in developing career and postsecondary education and training plans.
Adult career coaches assist clients with gaining admission to education and workforce programs, applying for financial aid (including applying for financial assistance available through the workforce system) and attaining workforce support services (including childcare and transportation). The adult career coach acts as a guide to college services including tutoring and student support services.
Adult career coaches are available at all 23 of Virginia’s community colleges.
High School Career Coaches
Virginia Community Colleges High School Career Coaches are community college employees who are based in local high schools to help high school students define their career aspirations and to recognize community college and other postsecondary programs, including apprenticeships and workforce training, that can help students achieve their educational and financial goals.
The fundamental objectives of the VCCS High School Career Coaches Program are to empower students to make informed decisions about their career and educational plans and to prepare students for success in postsecondary education and training.
Contact
Laura Clark
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Success Center & Office of Professional Development
Office: 804-819-4797
lclark@vccs.edu
Employers are looking to hire workers with the right skills
Recognizing the importance of promoting a capable workforce to meet the needs of employers and build Virginia’s economy, state lawmakers created a new grant program in 2016 to make specific workforce training programs much more affordable for students.
FastForward VA
FastForward workforce credential training programs at Virginia’s Community Colleges prepare people and businesses to succeed in the 21st century marketplace. Virginia employers need workers with technical skills that require some post-high school training but not necessarily traditional college degrees. The Commonwealth is responding with expanded training opportunities for in-demand industry-recognized credentials, and a multi-million dollar grant program to encourage more Virginians to train for those workforce skills. Learn More
Get Inspired
We’ve gathered a few feel-good success stories. Anything can be done if you follow your passion.
Farley
“I completed my hours and internship paperwork, had an interview on a Friday and I started my new job the next Monday,” she said. “You can’t do any better than that!”
Marcus
“I like what I do. I do something different all the time; it’s enjoyable. You learn something new every day, and I like doing hands-on work.”
Natalie
“My husband and I would not have been able to participate in the program without tuition support through these grants. I literally would not be where I am today without that financial assistance.
Jamaul
“The concepts I learned have been helpful in my new position. It has been a good learning experience and I was taught a lot.”