Workforce Training
By 2009, the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) will provide workforce training programs for 225,000 individuals annually, an increase of nearly 80 percent–from 125,000 to 225,000.
The Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education team at LFCC- Lord Fairfax Community College's Office of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education realized the power of its potential when it learned in 2007 that between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006, it served a greater percentage of businesses in its service region than comparable programs at any of Virginia's 22 other community colleges.
- The Office of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education offers hundreds of online courses in partnership with the firm ed2go. From July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007, 284 people enrolled in the courses, representing an enrollment increase of approximately 28 percent over the 2005-06 year. The project-oriented courses run for six weeks and cover every topic from anatomy to web design. All the courses can be taken from any location at any time.
- The College received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Kitchen and Bath Association for 2006-07 student design submissions. Out of 31 colleges, LFCC was in the top five for excellence, based on the accuracy of National Kitchen and Bath Association guidelines and graphics presentation standards, for a project which highlighted a design for a “Spa Retreat.”
- The Office of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education added new programs in the areas of homeland security and healthcare. An educational needs assessment conducted in December 2006 for LFCC and released in March 2007 noted that in particular, 46 percent of respondents expressed an interest in taking homeland security courses.
- The Office of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education’s Jeanian Clark, Donna Eagle, Kathy Howard, Bill Pence, Cindy Soltis and Katie Vandermer have become nationally certified trainers for Development Dimensions International (DDI). DDI, a human resources consulting firm, is widely recognized for its leadership and management training programs, which are geared toward improving employee performance. The office formed a partnership with DDI to bring DDI's world-class leadership, workforce and customer service training programs to local businesses and organizations.
- Bill Pence, coordinator of business and industry training, was named a Rotary International “Paul Harris Fellow” for his generosity to the service organization.