Since the FastForward program launched in July 2016, approximately 23,000 credentials have been awarded across Virginia
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Many paths lead to success. Understanding that, Virginia’s Community Colleges created FastForward to bolster its workforce and make it easier for students to access training for new skills.
Most programs take between 6 and 12 weeks and are built so students can get their education while they work. With FastForward, students can gain the skills they need quickly and affordably, while creating more opportunity for their future.
COVID-19 has increased the need to develop new solutions to the challenges facing Virginians today. With families experiencing economic fallout due to pandemic-related job losses, many people will need to learn new skills to find stable employment and overcome these changing demands.
Virginia’s Community Colleges are essential resources for helping individuals prepare for post-pandemic job recovery.
By training today’s essential workers – nurses, emergency medical technicians, firefighters, truck drivers, law enforcement officers, and others – through short-term training programs known as FastForward, community colleges help students build lasting careers.
FastForward is the most immediate path to better wages and a higher standard of living.
There are more than 200 FastForward programs to prepare students for in-demand careers in healthcare, information technology, skilled trades, manufacturing, logistics, and more.
Since the FastForward program launched in July 2016, approximately 23,000 credentials have been awarded across Virginia
The majority of FastForward students are career-changers
Individuals experience wage gains of 25 to 50%
Graduates experience significant quality of life enhancements including: employer sponsored healthcare (90%), paid sick leave (75%), paid vacation time (85%), improved work schedules (88%), and fulfilling work in their preferred field (82%)
Before COVID-19, most Americans lived paycheck-to-paycheck, and seven out of ten people lacked the resources to handle an unexpected $500 emergency. FastForward program costs average $2,900 with students responsible for one-third. Even though FastForward programs are considered one of the most affordable career growth solutions available, many individuals are unable to afford an additional financial burden – especially now.
The VFCCE has prioritized funding to provide scholarships that will enable at least 2,500 of these hard-working students to build new careers during this rocky time of economic recovery with no cost out of pocket to them – but your support is essential.
When you make a life-changing investment to help a student access training programs that lead to better employment opportunities and financial stability, you’re investing in more than just an individual. Your support has a ripple effect that impacts the student’s family, their community, and all of the Commonwealth – both immediately and for future generations.