For Immediate Release:
October 7, 2024
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 540-868-7134
The opening of the Skilled Trades Center on the Fauquier Campus in fall 2023 created more opportunities for partnerships with local high schools, such as the Skilled Trades Academy.
While there has long been a Trades Academy at Laurel Ridge’s Middletown Campus, until last year, there was no permanent home for the trades in Warrenton.
“The Fauquier Skilled Trades Center was a dream in the making for many years,” said Jeanian Clark, vice president of Laurel Ridge Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education. “We had extended our trades program into the Fauquier market in 2014, 2015. The demand was always there. Those programs were doing very well at the Middletown Campus, so we knew they would be successful at the Fauquier Campus. We just didn’t have the space.”
Trades education in Fauquier County got a humble start in an auxiliary gym at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fauquier. The college later leased space at Vint Hill. Both were stop-gap measures.
Clark said the Associated Builders and Contractors – Virginia Chapter let representatives from Laurel Ridge Workforce Solutions tour a newly-built space in Sterling a few years ago. Shortly afterwards, Fauquier County donated 62 acres of land adjacent to the existing Fauquier Campus to the Laurel Ridge Foundation.
“We were pretty quickly able to put together a vision for what that building would look like, take that vision to our industry partners…and in two short years, we cut the ribbon on the Skilled Trades Center,” said Clark. “Less than 10 months later, the building is completely full. To be able to say that we’ve been in the building for less than a year and it’s at capacity, is wonderful.”
For years, Rappahannock County and Fauquier County public school divisions have wanted to participate in Laurel Ridge’s trades programs, but were stymied by the fact that there was no dedicated space on the Fauquier Campus to do so – until this year.
“On Aug. 19, the very first cohort of seniors coming from five different high schools started a daytime Skilled Trades Academy,” Clark said.
Nineteen students are learning Level 1 HVAC skills this fall, while another cohort will study Level 1 plumbing in the spring. This fall’s academy students are learning core HVAC skills – safety, wiring, installation, maintenance and troubleshooting. Clark said a hiring event is planned for these students in spring 2025.
The students will receive recognized credentials through the National Center for Construction Education and Research: Core Craft Skills and HVAC Level 1. Technicians with the Level 1 credential can expect to start off making $18 to $23 an hour in this region.
What trades will be offered in upcoming Skilled Trades Academy sessions will depend on what the school systems’ needs are, Clark said.
The Skilled Trades Center recently added welding and fiber optic installer to the electrical, HVAC, plumbing and HEO program offerings.
“Those programs are full of students,” Clark said.
There are seven Rappahannock County High School students enrolled in the fall Trades Academy, with several more students interested in the spring plumbing Skilled Trades Academy.
Rappahannock County High School career and technical education (CTE) instructor Rich Hogan said a major benefit of the Skilled Trades Academy is it allows students to enroll in an elective course that carries with it the possibility of a job. He also highlighted the CTE program’s close connection with Lisa Heiser, Laurel Ridge Workforce Solutions’ FastForward career coach.
“During my 20 years in the CTE programs at RCHS, I’ve seen the students being drawn into the trades possibilities in their sophomore and junior years, and then solidifying this interest their senior year, receiving continued support from Laurel Ridge even after graduating high school,” said Hogan. “I feel the relationship with the college is beneficial for the students and this is a great opportunity for them to start pursuing their career interests while still attending high school.”
Thanks to FastForward funding, two-thirds of the program fees were paid by the state. The Rappahannock County Lions Club paid the remaining $1,265 per-student fee for students from Rappahannock County. Fauquier County Schools covered the costs for their students.
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Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With three locations — Middletown, Warrenton, and Luray-Page County — 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 is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Laurel Ridge Community College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities. Laurel Ridge shall promote and maintain equal employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age (except when age is a bona fide occupational qualification), status as a veteran, national origin, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment. Inquiries may be directed to the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, [email protected], 173 Skirmisher Lane, Middletown, VA 22645, 540-868-7226.
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.
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