SVCC receives $2.9 million for apprenticeship-based training

Published 12:18 pm Thursday, October 8, 2015

President Barack Obama recently named a consortium of four Virginia community colleges — including Southside Virginia Community College — to receive $2.9 million in grant funds to develop and implement an apprenticeship-based jobs training program.

The award, made under the U.S. Department of Labor’s American Apprenticeship Initiative, will teach advanced manufacturing and information technology career skills to both incumbent workers as well as those new to the workforce. Apprenticeship training combines classroom study with on-the-job training.

Partnering with SVCC on this project are fellow consortium members Reynolds Community College and John Tyler Community College, both from the Richmond area, and Danville Community College. Based on Department of Labor data, as well as regional industry surveys, these colleges share with SVCC a common need to train workers in career pathways such as mechanical engineering technology, computer programming, welding, chemical operations, and database technology, to name but a few of the occupations that will be targeted by the American Apprenticeship grant.

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SVCC anticipates that over $600,000 of the $2.9 million award will be directed to SVCC’s service region, with the majority of funding going to cover tuition and training costs for participants.  SVCC serves 10 counties and one city in the Southside region of the state.

Registered Apprenticeships is a training system that produces highly skilled workers to meet the demands of employers competing in a global economy, through a combination of on-the-job training and theoretical classroom instruction. The programs SVCC will offer through this American Apprenticeship funding will enable participants to earn college credentials as well.

Employers who would like to participate, as well as current employees and first-time job seekers who would like to develop lifelong career skills can call SVCC at (434) 949-1029, or email gloria.westerman@southside.edu for more information.