MIDDLETOWN and WARRENTON, Va. – Become a middle school or high school teacher in just 16 weeks at Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) by enrolling in the Career Switchers Program. LFCC is holding two free information sessions for interested individuals to learn more about this new program.

Information sessions will take place on:

• May 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Room 216 at the Fauquier Campus, located at 6480 College St. in Warrenton
• May 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Room 315 at the Middletown Campus, located at 173 Skirmisher Lane in Middletown

The Career Switchers Program is part of EducateVA, a statewide initiative to address critical shortages in the teaching profession by offering a fast-track licensure program.

EducateVA helps individuals with the appropriate qualifications become licensed teachers in Virginia, while maintaining their current job and responsibilities. Using a combination of online and on-site instruction, individuals can complete the teaching certification program within 16 weeks, with six Saturdays required on-site at LFCC.

To qualify for enrollment in the program, individuals must:

• Have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with at least a 2.5 grade point average Have five or more years of full-time work experience
• Have completed required assessments
• Submit to a criminal background check
• Not have a current provisional license or expired provisional license from the Virginia Department of Education or a teaching license from any other state

 The requirements of the program include:

• Completing the 16-week level one program, which includes 30 hours of classroom experience
• Teaching successfully with a provisional license for one full year prior to being recommended for a full five-year renewable teaching license
• Completing level two of the program during the one-year provisional period, which includes Saturday sessions and online training

For more information about the information sessions or the Career Switchers Program, interested individuals may contact Lori Killough at 540-868-7239 or lkillough@lfcc.edu, call the Office of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education at 540-868-7021 or visit http://www.lfccWorkforce.com.

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Founded in 1970, Lord Fairfax Community College is a comprehensive, multi-campus public institution of higher education. Through its three locations — the Fauquier and Middletown Campuses and the Luray-Page County Center — the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont regions.  The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. LFCC offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. LFCC also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. LFCC serves more than 7,600 unduplicated credit students and more than 10,450 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.

Lord Fairfax Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Lord Fairfax Community College. LFCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, political affiliation or disability in its programs or activities.