For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2022
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 540-868-7134
A partnership between Laurel Ridge Community College and Shenandoah County Public Schools was recently recognized by the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA).
The CNA/phlebotomy program partnership won a first-place Excellence in Workforce Readiness Award for school divisions with a student population of 5,001-10,000 students.
Eleven students attending Triplett Tech completed the CNA training and certification followed by a phlebotomy course in the spring of the 2021-2022 school year. Facing a shortage of patient care techs, Valley Health representatives had reached out to Todd Lynn, who supervises career and technical education at Shenandoah County Public Schools. He turned to Laurel Ridge for help in providing a phlebotomy instructor.
“This was a great opportunity for our scholars,” Lynn said. “We had students who have identified health sciences as a career pathway, and we were able to stack credentials to meet a community need in two areas – certified nurse aide and phlebotomy. Through this collaboration with Laurel Ridge, Valley Health and Shenandoah County Public Schools, we were able to get students credentialed in multiple disciplines that will result in their earning a livable wage within our community.”
The cohort of students earned their CNA certification through instruction at Triplett Tech, and Laurel Ridge offered the phlebotomy course at space provided at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, according to Laurel Ridge Workforce Solutions Program Manager Anna Teter.
“This was a great opportunity to show how such collaborations can work and benefit everyone in the partnership,” she said. “Students become more skilled and marketable, and local employers have a strong pipeline of students with higher skill levels.”
Lynn agreed this was a winning partnership.
“This is an award that shows the community coming together to fill an area of need,” he said. “SCPS was able to find a great group of young people who wanted more than what we normally offer, SMH had the space, Laurel Ridge provided a great instructor, and a scholarship was provided to make it happen at no cost to students who successfully completed the class. It is great to work with a team of people who want to make things happen for young people that also meet the needs of our community.”
*************************
Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With four locations — Middletown, Warrenton, Luray-Page County and most recently, Vint Hill— the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College (Laurel Ridge) is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College. Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.
###