Governor Ralph Northam Signs “G3” Bill at NOVA

Governor Ralph Northam signed the “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back” initiative, or “G3” program bill at NOVA’s Alexandria Campus on Monday. The G3 program includes $36 million to cover tuition, fees, and books and provide wraparound support for eligible students at the Commonwealth’s two-year public institutions.

Northam was joined by the Honorable Richard Saslaw, majority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates; the Honorable Eileen Filler-Corn, speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates; the Honorable Megan Healy, chief workforce development officer in the Governor’s Office; Dr. Glenn Dubois, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System; Dr. Stephen Jones, president and CEO of INOVA Health System; Dr. Anne M. Kress, president of NOVA and Fandrea Preston, cybersecurity student at NOVA.

“This wouldn’t have happened without a tremendous amount of teamwork,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “The business community has been a large part of this as well knowing that we need to train a large workforce. This is a win-win. It’s a win for our community colleges, our businesses and for the Commonwealth.”

“Prior to 2019, business was growing. Virginia’s unemployment was at one of the lowest it’s ever been. And then COVID-19 hit. People lost business, and their jobs and didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. Over 1.4 million Virginians filed for unemployment. So, what an opportune time this is to train and retrain individuals to get back into our workforce,” the Governor added.

The G3 initiative aims to target key industries, from health care and information technology to skilled trades, public safety and early childhood education. Data show that on average, participants in these high-demand degree programs can increase their wages by 60 percent upon program completion and double their individual state tax contributions.

To read more about the G3 initiative or to re-watch the live stream provided by NOVA’s Marketing and Visual Services, click here.

Submitted by:
Hoang Ngyuen, hnguyen@nvcc.edu