New River Community College has received a grant of $74,000 to support workforce development programs. Awarded by the Virginia Community College System through a competitive application process, the grant will focus on helping students successfully complete short-term training programs.
“We’re very pleased to receive this additional funding,” said Mark Rowh, vice president for workforce development and external relations. “It will help us expand key support services for adult students who enroll in our short-term, career-focused programs.”
Rowh said the grant will help fund the launch of two new health-related programs, Nurse Aide and Clinical Medical Assistant, and expand resources to aid in student success. Those resources include providing students with access to content experts/mentors and academic tutors, as well as professional development workshops for instructors.
The grant will also support several current programs at NRCC, comprised of commercial driver’s license, pharmacy technician, manufacturing technician, six sigma yellow belt and six sigma green belt.
These “FastForward” programs began in 2016 to encourage adults to prepare for careers that require specialized training but not a college degree, while making the training accessible and affordable.
The program covers much of the cost for eligible students who are enrolled in one of the programs. To learn more about NRCC’s FastForward programs, visit www.nr.edu/workforce or call 540-674-3613.
