Dept. of Labor Awards $1.3 Workforce Grant to Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and TAP

DSLCC, TAP Announce $1.3 Million Workforce Grant­­

                A Department of Labor grant totaling over $1.3 million for a new workforce development program has been awarded to Total Action for Progress (TAP), in partnership with Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, it was jointly announced by TAP and DSLCC on the DSLCC campus in Clifton Forge on October 7.

                The new program, Appalachian CareerForge, is expected to train as many as 120 individuals in three career paths – Certified Nurse Aide, Phlebotomy Technician, and Commercial Driver’s License, three programs that DSLCC already offers through its FastForward program.

Of those 120 trainees who complete the program, said Jo Nelson, Director of This Valley Works of Roanoke, a service provided by TAP, “we project a least 80 percent will complete their training and obtain jobs through this program in their selected fields.”     

                “TAP is one of 27 grantees receiving this grant through the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) program,” she explained.  WORC is a partnership of the Department of Labor with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Delta Regional Authority. TAP was one of only three grantees in Virginia. The award amount for Appalachian CareerForge is $1,337,918.

                “WORC grants enable communities within the ARC and the Delta Regional Authority that have been hard hit by economic transition, and that are recovering slowly, to create local workforce development solutions that align with local economic development strategies,” said Nelson. “TAP will work with DSLCC and with local employers to promote sustainable job opportunities and long-term economic vitality by addressing the special needs of businesses and workers in the local community.”

                The project will target dislocated workers and new entrants into the workforce; those with a high school degree but little or no post-secondary training; and individuals who are at or under 80 percent of the median household income for the area. The service area will include residents of Alleghany, Craig, Bath and Rockbridge counties, as well as Greenbrier County, WV;  and the cities of Covington, Lexington and Buena Vista. The first of the three training programs, CNA, is expected to get underway by early November.

                “We are very pleased to partner with TAP,” said DSLCC President Dr. John Rainone. “Together we continue to meet the needs of our local employers by developing employees who are skilled and prepared to fill job openings in this region.”

                The CNA program at DSLCC involves 120 hours of classroom, hands-on labs and clinicals; the CDL program includes 40 hours of classroom and behind-the-wheel training; and the phlebotomy technician program is 97.5 hours of training that also includes lectures and hands-on labs.

                “Part of the reason we are able to offer strong and successful training programs in these fields is because of the partnership of local employers,” noted Dr. Rainone, who recognized Garten Trucking, the Brian Center, and LewisGale Hospital Alleghany for their active participation in supporting the three training programs by offering clinicals or apprenticeships for DSLCC graduates.

                “CDL graduates who are hired by Garten Trucking will also participate in a paid apprenticeship lasting from 14 to 90 days,” said Dr. Rainone. “The Brian Center will host our CNA trainees for their clincials. These students will be employed by the Brian Center during their clinical experiences. This allows the students to earn while they learn and gain real-life, hands-on knowledge. The Brian Center will then have the option to offer them a permanent position as an employee.”

                LewisGale Hospital Alleghany and DSLCC have had a long-standing partnership, which will be expanded to include phlebotomy technician students, added Dr. Rainone. “Phlebotomy students will complete their clinicals in the hospital’s lab for 8 hours a day for about a week and half, to gain real-life, hands-on exposure. The hospital’s phlebotomists served as preceptors for the students, which represents a commitment of resources on the part of the hospital.”

                According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said Dr. Rainone, the median pay in 2019 for the three careers  in the local area was $14.25 an hour for nursing assistants; $17.07 an hour for phlebotomists; and $21.76 per hour for licensed drivers. “We feel that these areas of focus offer living wages and have a growth potential,” he said. “Most importantly, our local employers have testified that they have a demand for these positions.”

                Dr. Rainone recognized several individuals for working to make the project possible: Wendy Poague, the Brian Center; Tommy Garten, George Austin and the team at Garten Trucking; CEO Will Windham, Lori Barbour and Eddie Parham, LewisGale Hospital Alleghany; and Jo Nelson and Anne Lemon from TAP.  Dr. Rainone also recognized DSLCC team members: Vice President of Workforce Solutions Gary Keener and Doug Jones, Workforce Solutions Programming Coordinator, as well as CDL program head Dorothy Hayslett; phlebotomy instructor Kristy Evans; and CNA instructor Tiffany Rosales.

                TAP’s role in Appalachian CareerForge will be to recruit individuals who are seeking better career prospects, said Nelson. She said that TAP would serve as coaches and mentors and provide job-readiness training. All tuitions costs will be covered, and trainees are even eligible for a stipend to receive help with child care and transportation.

                Introducing the speakers for the announcement was Annette Lewis, president of TAP. Also speaking was Covington Mayor Tom Sibold, who is a member of the TAP Board of Directors.

                For more information about the Appalachian CareerForge, contact Jo Nelson with TAP at (540) 598-4219.

—Judy Clark PR, DSLCC