From Germanna Community College President Dr. Janet Gullickson:
At Germanna Community College, we take pride in our ability to pivot quickly to meet the needs of our communities – both those of students and employers.
In keeping with our focus, Germanna, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Virginia Community College System created a program that can help our economy recover from layoffs and the retraining demands related to the pandemic.
The program is called G3—Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back.
G3 invests in Virginia community college degree programs specifically designed to meet the high-demand needs of Virginia businesses and make those programs little or no-cost to low and middle-income students. G3 programs are designed in stackable segments that help individuals quickly earn the skills needed to begin new careers and work while learning additional skills leading to a college degree and career advancement opportunities.
At Germanna, nursing and health, IT and cybersecurity, law enforcement, early childhood education, automotive technologies, construction and engineering are among G3 eligible careers.
We enthusiastically support the Governor’s proposal of $72.5 million for G-3 in the fiscal year 2020-2021, and an additional $72.5 million for 2021-2022. It’s a win-win solution for local families and businesses.
The G3 proposal addresses two pressing and connected needs:
- Assisting those whose careers have been interrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic; and
- Expediting talent development, the No. 1 need expressed by Virginia businesses.
More than 1.1 million Virginians have filed for unemployment benefits. Many of their jobs will be slow to return if they ever do. More than 40,000 Virginians sought education and training from Virginia’s community colleges following the announcement of the grant opportunities in early November.
G3 makes high-demand careers more accessible for struggling people in Germanna’s service region, which includes the city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Culpeper, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, Caroline, and Madison.
Germanna’s students are your neighbors, friends, potential employees, and even your own family members. You can help us help them and our communities bounce back from the economic toll of the virus.
Join me in asking our state’s Delegates and Senators to support the governor’s proposal to strengthen this important and much-needed program at this critical time.
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Dr. Janet Gullickson is president of Germanna Community College. She lives in King George with her husband, Bobby Farmer.
