[Archived] JobLink Receives Grant to Train Veterans

JobLink, Alexandria’s One-Stop Career Center, a division of the Department of Community and Human Services, will share a $150,000 grant from the Virginia Community College System with the The Arlington Employment Center to train veterans who wish to enter the information technology field. The Alexandria/Arlington Workforce Investment Board was one of nearly three dozen organizations that received funds to assist veterans. Northern Virginia Community College will provide the training.

According to Dennis McKinney, director of the Center for Economic Support in the Department of Community and Human Services, a local employer has expressed interest in hiring all the trainees he is able to accommodate when they are certified. Any additional trainees will be referred to other organizations.

“We have a lot of work to do on the course preparation with NVCC,” said Mckinney. “But it is going to be a great opportunity for our local vets.”

Virginia’s Community Colleges are funding eight regional partnerships with $1.8 million in grants to serve veterans who have recently finished their military service, and their eligible spouses, with jobs and careers in high-growth, high-demand fields. Individual grant awards range from $142,500 to $250,000. Taken together, the innovative partnerships are expected to serve more than 700 people annually.

The projects selected for funding include regional and statewide strategies and tools to train and employ veterans in healthcare, advanced manufacturing and information technology, among other fast-growing industry sectors. These career pathways for veterans include additional tools to reward veterans with college credits for prior learning and for skills obtained in the armed forces.

Each of the selected projects includes collaboration between local workforce investment boards, community colleges, the Virginia Employment Commission, state government agencies and local businesses. A request for proposals for funding was announced in November 2012. Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Rapid Response Assistance funds will support these grants.

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