NRCC History Book

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plan for the VCCS which was to triple the number of credentials earned for economic vitality and individual prosperity by 2021. A credentialing innovation team was established to refine and expand plans to meet this goal. A credential offered by Workforce Development for some time was Virginia’s career readiness certificate, a pre-employment test that certified core employability skills required across multiple industries and occupations. The certificate confirmed to employers that a potential employee had the necessary basic workplace skills. Also, these tests were used to promote existing employees. During this time, the college had the highest increase in the number of career readiness certificates awarded in the VCCS. In 2016 Virginia’s General Assembly passed into law the New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Program to fund non-credit, short-term workforce training that leads to a credential in a high demand field. These training programs were called FastForward, a pay-for-performance, accelerated career training program offering industry-recognized credentials. The college offered training in welding, medical records, pharmacy technician, and professional truck driving, just to name a few areas. A Workforce Credentials Grant (WCG) Capacity Building award of $81,222 was received from the VCCS in the summer of 2017. With the funds, NRCC added a medical assistant program and the Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification. In addition, grant money was used to expand four existing programs—Commercial Driver’s License, Pharmacy Technician, Manufacturing Technician I, and Six Sigma Green Belt.

earn a GED or a high school diploma, achieve college success, and become gainfully employed. Specific transitional programs included Adult Education, Middle College, Great Expectations, and On-Ramp. Adult Education helped adults, ages 18 and older, improve basic math, reading, and writing skills. The Middle College program allowed individuals (ages 18 to 24 who did not have a high school diploma) to attend NRCC and earn a GED, a certificate or degree, and/or a workforce credential. Great Expectations offered educational and supportive services to youth who were in foster care to help them earn self-sufficiency skills and attend college. On-Ramp offered tuition assistance for individuals who were unemployed or underemployed. In 2015 employers nationwide emphasized specific credentials needed by workers beyond the traditional college degrees. In addition, VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois announced the third strategic tional accomplishments (like completing multiple SACSCOC Reaccreditations), and everything in between. One statement I have heard here many times is, we work hard but we have fun doing it. I have loved every day working with colleagues at New River….so much so, when I retired in 2017 after 30 years of employment, I came back in a part-time capacity and have been here for seven years more. Rock on, New River! BETTY GORDON Word Processing Supervisor Employment at NRCC: Full-time 1986-2017 and Part-time 2017-present S ome of my fondest memories of New River Community College since I started working here in 1986 revolve around the culture of the college. It has truly been a family atmosphere, from the administrators to the housekeeping staff. When people say, “It ’ s a great place to work,” they are not kidding. There was always time to celebrate employee accomplishments, institu

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