At NOVA, we frequently hear from educators, businesses, students, and parents about the challenges of providing career advice. The volume of information available about where the jobs are, the skills and education needed, and how to get there is simply overwhelming. So when big-name entities release reports about workforce trends, people pay attention. Unfortunately, if the information provided to the public is inaccurate or incomplete, there could be a very serious, unintended consequence: students and job seekers are advised to stay away from occupations and skills that are in high demand. Continue reading Checking the Facts: The LinkedIn Workforce Report
Category Archives: Jobs and Careers
Helpful articles and tips for job seekers and career switchers.
Career Services Classroom Engagement
Erika Coddington, Student Engagement Coordinator at NOVA Workforce, presented to 73 students in Dean Kathleen Cogdill’s Business classes. Erika showed students the features and benefits of the college’s career services database, the College Central Network. The features include podcasts on career development topics (such as resume and interview tips), as well as tools to improve personal branding. Continue reading Career Services Classroom Engagement
Education and Career Support at Cornerstones
NOVA workforce career counselor, Jennifer Merrill, is leading an information session at Cornerstones to provide customized career insight and support.
Cornerstones is a nonprofit organization that assists clients in gaining self-sufficiency. Cornerstones provides resources including food, shelter, housing, childcare, and other services. Continue reading Education and Career Support at Cornerstones
NOVA Workforce Partners with Fairfax County Schools to Provide Career Awareness Resources for Teachers
Choosing a career path at any age is a difficult task. But selecting a career path as a high school student—without a full understanding of the career pathways available—can be an even more daunting task.
Fairfax County high schools are implementing training to provide teachers with resources to help students make more informed career decisions. By developing a greater awareness of potential career paths, students have the opportunity to pursue an educational and career pathway that will aid their success. Continue reading NOVA Workforce Partners with Fairfax County Schools to Provide Career Awareness Resources for Teachers
Northern Virginia Community College Announces Amazon Apprenticeship Program
This will be the first Amazon apprenticeship program to be launched on the East Coast.
November 2, 2017 (Herndon, VA) – Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a new innovative apprenticeship program designed to train veterans in northern Virginia. The announcement marks the launch of the first-ever apprenticeship programs for AWS on the East Coast.
The apprenticeship program is designed to fill a growing need for tech talent in the northern Virginia region. In October 2017, there were 23,000 job postings for employment opportunities in the tech sector in northern Virginia. The apprenticeship program will train individuals for Associate Cloud Consultant (ACC) positions. This all-veteran cohort entered training at NOVA for 16 weeks and will continue with on-the-job training at the AWS Herndon headquarters. Throughout the course of their program, apprentices will earn a series of highly-technical industry certifications that are in-demand by the technology sector, including: CompTIA Network+, Linux+, and the AWS Solutions Architect.
“The Amazon Apprenticeship program takes veterans who are a great fit for Amazon culture and helps them build the technical skills that they need to be cloud support associates — a high-demand technical role,” said Ardine Williams, Vice President of Human Resources for Worldwide Operations at Amazon and Army veteran. “Thanks to our strong and experienced partner the Northern Virginia Community College we have a great curriculum for our veteran cohort in Northern Virginia and are excited to launch our program here. Together, we’re looking forward to learning and growing with our apprentices so that we can refine and scale the program to help meet America’s growing demand for tech talent.”
The northern Virginia region has three times the average number of IT workers when compared to the rest of the United States. This apprenticeship program is an example of how business and education can creatively and successfully collaborate to address unique workforce challenges. NOVA’s large student veteran population and diverse offering of technology training programs help businesses find the highly-skilled tech talent they need to succeed, ensuring that the region remains economically competitive.
“NOVA is honored to partner with AWS to address the increasing demand for highly-skilled tech workers,” said Dr. Scott Ralls, President, NOVA. “Advanced training programs like the AWS apprenticeship are core to NOVA’s mission to meet the needs of regional employers and provide career pathways for students in high-growth industries.”
For additional information about apprenticeship programs at Northern Virginia Community College, please contact Steven Partridge, Vice President of Workforce Development at spartridge@nvcc.edu.