From Germanna Community College
Germanna Community College’s Center for Workforce & Community Education will host a reception at 4:30 on Thursday, Sept. 28 in observance of the opening of the Virginia Education Center for Asphalt Technology (VECAT) at the college’s new Fredericksburg Center for Advanced Technology at 1315 Central Park Blvd. in Fredericksburg.
The statewide effort involves a partnership of The Virginia Asphalt Association, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Virginia Community College System, led by Germanna Community College’s Center for Workforce in Culpeper.
VDOT, the VAA and Germanna are partnering on changes to the asphalt-related materials certification classes, the initiation of an asphalt technologist apprenticeship program and eventually an asphalt technologist associate’s degree.
Germanna has based the training at FredCAT in Central Park. Much of the training will be available via online classes, but students will be required to take part in labs on site.
The asphalt business is a key industry in Virginia.
- Virginia has the third largest state maintained highway system in the United States
- The Commonwealth spends billions of dollars each year on its highways
- Virginia’s asphalt industry has 50 different companies with more than 130 plants, employing over 10,000 people throughout the Commonwealth
- The industry contributes nearly $2 billion to the Virginia economy each year
