Tag Archives: Workforce

Business Bits: Welcoming a New Generation into the Workplace

Born after 1996, our newest generation is on the workforce horizon:  Generation Z.  Also called GenZ, iGen, and the Cloud Generation, these post-millennials were the first to conduct childhood friendships on portable devices, a skill that has come in handy during COVID-19.  They’ve mastered the art of achieving an entire conversation with images (emojis).  Independent, pragmatic, stubborn, and always in a rush, Generation Z will bring a new challenge to corporations.   That’s if they arrive as workers on the corporate scene at all.  Most reports say over 75 percent of GenZ-ers want to start their own company and not work for others.  If they do arrive on the corporate scene, how will they want to be trained and supported at work? Continue reading Business Bits: Welcoming a New Generation into the Workplace

Elevate Prince William/Manassas Building Businesses and Careers Initiative

NOVA and the Virginia Career Works have partnered with the Prince William County and the City of Manassas to offer its residents free tuition on select professional educational programs. Individual employees of Prince William and City of Manassas companies are also eligible for this program.

Continue reading Elevate Prince William/Manassas Building Businesses and Careers Initiative

NOVA Workforce Receives $100,000 From Capital One to Develop Cybersecurity Pathway

Northern Virginia Community College has received a $100,000 grant from Capital One Foundation to help develop the Cybersecurity Career Pathways Project that will inform and support middle and high school students in the Northern Virginia Region who wish to explore and hopefully pursue a career in cybersecurity. The project will whet the appetite of a future generation of cyber workers and eventually fill a regional and national skills gap that will only continue to widen in the coming years.

NOVA will be working as part of a cohort of 14 community colleges in D.C., Maryland, New York and Texas to develop some thematic areas of focus in relation to labor-market data and career pathways to create a pilot program with two Prince William County public high schools—Forest Park and Potomac—both chosen due to their high level of diversity and for the large number of students from underserved populations.

The program will offer training to teachers and counselors within the schools to teach them the importance of these fields and to relay the needs expressed by local employers. Students will attend activities and have the chance to learn about the growing field of cybersecurity. They will participate in internships and “job-shadow” opportunities and will achieve a cybersecurity credential while still in high school. They will then move through NOVA and hopefully a four-year institution and emerge prepared to succeed in this very in-demand and high-paying field. Ultimately, as a result of this pilot, students will have a greater understanding of the importance of the cybersecurity field and the value that achieving a credential can bring them in terms of launching a career with a bright future.

NOVA’s Cybersecurity program provides a curriculum that is mapped to DHS and NSA cybersecurity education standards and is designated by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Administration as a Center of Academic Excellence for two-year institutions (CAE2Y). Our AAS Cybersecurity degree is transferable to many four-year institutions and offers students the opportunity to participate in a variety of exciting competitions and extra-curricular activities. NOVA is a founding member of the National CyberWatch Center, a national consortium of colleges and universities focused on cybersecurity education.

Meet our hiring companies.

Next week, on September 30, NOVA’s Workforce Development Division will be hosting our second annual STEM Career Fair. We have a wonderful lineup of companies who are ready to meet job seekers, and some on-the-spot interviews will be available to pre-qualified candidates!

STEM career fair companies

“What do I need to attend the Career Fair?”

Our STEM Career Fair is open to all job-seekers, whether entry-level or experienced. We also welcome veterans, students, and currently employed individuals seeking a new career path. In short, if you are interested in a STEM job with one of our hiring companies, do a little research online and be prepared. Make sure that you have an updated resume, and leave the t-shirt and jeans at home! Business casual is an excellent approach for a career fair, but we have seen some job seekers show up in suits, ready to meet their next employer.

Whatever you do, be comfortable, be yourself, and say hello to several of our hiring companies:

 

ABC Supply Co., Inc.

We are the largest wholesale distributor of roofing in the U. S. and one of the nation’s largest distributors of other select exterior building products. Since 1982, ABC Supply Company has become a national organization with more than 490 locations in 49 states. We provide contractors (large and small) with high-quality products, superior service, and competitive pricing.

ActioNet Inc.

ActioNet’s seasoned personnel are experts in a wide range of IT systems, Program Management, Software Engineering, Information Assurance, Infrastructure Solutions, and IT Business Governance. 75% of our staff has at least one certification directly related to their area of expertise. ITIL, PMP, MCSE, CISSP, Security+ comprise many of these.

Capital One

One of the 10 largest U.S. banks and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in McLean, VA, we approach financial services challenges the way Internet start-ups approach development challenges. Capital One’s Technology department provides scalable infrastructure for our entire enterprise—managing both internal and customer-facing technology. Career opportunities are available for data architects, systems analysts, engineers, and information security professionals.

Diplomatic Security – U.S. Department of State

As the DoS’s security and law enforcement arm, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security serves an essential role: To provide a safe, secure environment for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Diplomatic Security is a unique organization in the foreign affairs community—it is the only law enforcement agency with representation in nearly every country in the world.

Dulles Glass & Mirror

Founded in 1972, Dulles Glass and Mirror offers glass, mirror and shower doors for residential and commercial uses. We deliver nationally and offer installation services in northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

eIntern

eIntern is a first-of-its-kind online internship where aspiring IT programmers attain actual job-based skills. The eInternship program is designed in close collaboration with several academic and corporate partners to deliver qualified, reliable & expert IT talent geared for the complex IT needs of the industry today. eIntern’s individually tailored and mentored program helps talent succeed not as entry level programmers, but as experienced job candidates with specialized IT skills.

Evolver

Established in December 2000 in Reston, Virginia, Evolver has successfully grown to a recognized IT solutions provider. Our employee base now exceeds 200 and our clients— both government and commercial —span the globe. Our services include Infrastructure Engineering and Operations, Application Systems Engineering, Data Management, and End User Support (Seat Management).

iWorks

Providing IT professional services with a specialty in managing business processes and systems integration, iWorks has been appraised at Level 3 of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), as well as ISO 9001:2008 certified. We maintain two U.S. DoD cleared facilities in the DC metro area, and we team with top firms to achieve breakthrough performance for our clients.

Fairfax County Government

The core purpose of Fairfax County Government is to protect and enrich the quality of life for the people, neighborhoods, and diverse communities of Fairfax County. We do this through:

  • Maintaining Safe, Caring Communities
  • Building Livable Spaces
  • Connecting People and Places
  • Maintaining Healthy Economies
  • Practicing Environmental Stewardship
  • Creating a Culture of Engagement
  • Exercising Corporate Stewardship

Honeywell

A Fortune 100 company with more than 127,000 employees worldwide, including more than 22,000 engineers and scientists, Honeywell creates solutions to improve the quality of life of people around the globe: generating clean, healthy energy—and using it more efficiently; increasing safety and security; and enabling people to connect, communicate, and collaborate.

Leidos

Leidos  brings a mix of innovative technology and sector expertise to customers in national security, health, and engineering. We look for solutions that not only transform businesses, but change the world. Our approach to every challenge is holistic and systematic. We see solutions others can’t with impactful analytics. We make real life better with a human point of view.

National Student Clearinghouse

Founded in 1993 by the higher education community, National Student Clearinghouse relieves the administrative burdens and costs related to student data reporting and exchange, verification, and research. We are a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, and our work provides numerous time- and cost-saving benefits to students, schools, administrators, and requestors.

Nordstrom

Since 1901, Nordstrom’s commitment to providing our customers with the best possible service has taken us from a small Seattle shoe shop to the leading fashion specialty retailer we are today. We’re proud to serve customers at 310 stores in 38 states and Canada. We also serve customers online in 96 countries through Nordstrom.com. We believe fashion is a business of optimism, and in that spirit we continue to grow and evolve.

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)

We design, develop, and sustain offerings in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets; we empower diplomatic missions, support warfighter requirements, and advance exploration from the ocean floor to outer space. We maintain leadership positions in supply chain management, hardware integration, and global network integration. SAIC has approximately 15,000 employees worldwide.

Satnam Technologies

We manage complex software projects from inception to implementation and support, including enterprise applications, application development, and Quality Assurance Testing. Satnam’s IT staffing and consulting services provide qualified technology specialists and IT consultants when and where our clients need them.

Southland Industries

Advocating a design-build-maintain model, Southland specializes in the design, construction, and service of mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, process piping, automation and controls systems, as well as comprehensive energy services needs. Our in-house experts have earned Southland its reputation as one of the top design-builders in the nation.

VSE Corporation

VSE Corporation was established in 1959 to provide engineering and technical services to the owners and operators of transportation and equipment assets and large, mission critical fleets (ships, vehicles and aircraft.) VSE serves this market by extending the service life and modernizing these aging platforms.

If you would like more information on the Career Fair, contact Cinthia Molinari at 703.323.3281, or email NOVA_CustomizedTraining@nvcc.edu.

Collaborative Work Environments: “From Me to We” [infographic]

We have read many articles and trending topics on the benefits of teamwork and collaboration. Still, in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven environments, many leaders and teams find themselves struggling with creating an integrated, collaborative team that can move quickly on projects to produce better results for their organization.

PGi, a global provider of audio, web and video conferencing, has created an infographic that speaks to the real benefits of teamwork in our marketplace.

With a collaboration market projected to reach $33.8 billion in 2018, technology reigns supreme in today’s teamwork-driven workplace, helping connect more employees than ever before as businesses go global and employees work from anywhere. Corporate investments in collaboration technologies include team workspaces, project management, group chat, social intranets and video conferencing, thanks to movements like Bring Your Own Device and Application (BYOD, BYOA), social business, social selling and more. [Blakely Thomas-Aguilar, PGi blog]

The modern team environment is powered by technology that allows companies to adapt quickly to new economic needs and trends. Individuals become collaborators, rather than contributors: a small shift in role, but a significant shift in how teams work.

For Summer 2015, NOVA’s Workforce Development Division features a few classes that can help you, as a leader or team member, hone your skills to develop a more collaborative work environment.

Developing & Managing a Dynamic Team (BUSC 1558)
Reston Center  |  June 4 & 5
Annandale CED  |  August 13 & 14

Teamwork in Today’s Work Environment (BUSC 1787)
Loudoun  |  August 15

Risk & Change Management (BUSC 1522)
Annandale CED  |  Mon/Wed, July 13-22

infographic-studies-reveal-the-real-benefits-of-teamwork-in-business-1-1024

Infographic from PGi.