For many, the first thing that comes to mind when hearing Workforce Development is skilled trades training. And while Virginia Peninsula Community College offers many such programs, the College’s Workforce Development office does so much more, including customized and corporate training, hiring fairs, conferences and workshops.
Management at Analytical Mechanics Associates, which is a business solution company based in Hampton, saw that firsthand with its “Talent Quest” event at the Peninsula Workforce Development Center in Hampton. The company has worked with NASA Langley Research Center for decades and is creating a new avenue to support the needs and mission of the research center.
“Since this facility was close to NASA, we thought it would be a good location to be able to attract those folks,” said Shelly Thomason, AMA’s director of Human Resources.
The January event was arranged by Dr. Adrienne E. Cosby, the College’s director of Business Solutions and Corporate Training.
Nicole Dedmon is the deputy program manager for RSES (research, science, engineering and services), an AMA contract that supports NASA.
“We’re the largest contract at NASA Langley right now, providing support to the research science and engineering directorates at NASA Langley,” Dedmon said. “We’re about 2½ years into an eight-year contract. Many of our employees, our management, have worked with NASA on predecessor contracts that feed into this RSES program as well.”
“Talent Quest” was designed to generate leads and make contacts that could result in new employees.
“We didn’t have any specific targets,” Dedmon said, adding VPCC students also were welcome to attend.
“We do have intern opportunities as well as early career opportunities,” she said. “If some of the VPCC students are interested, we encourage them to apply to those opportunities as well.”
Dedmon hopes her company has more of these events because they are beneficial.
“This is the opportunity to see who may be interested and what type of expertise is out there that we can tap into in our community,” she said.
AMA has worked with the College before, Thomason said, partnering with Dr. Cosby on its professional development programs. And the human resources team has had several workshops at the PWDC. More might be in the offing.
“They have a great team building session that we’ve done here before, so we’ve recommended that to other teams outside of HR,” Thomason said.
She also is looking into a partnership with VPCC to build the company’s intern pipeline.
Like AMA, other companies have relied on VPCC’s services.
Gaylene Kanoyton, founder of Celebrate Health Care, has worked with the College on numerous community-oriented events at campuses in Hampton and the Historic Triangle in Williamsburg.
When Virginia Health Services needed help providing Certified Nurse Aide training for a much-requested evening class, VPCC had a solution.
Hampton Roads Workforce Council and Hampton Roads Community Action Program also take advantage of what the College has to offer.
Branching out from its skilled trades aligns with the College’s mission, too, which consists of changing lives and transforming the community through innovative partnerships.
Those interested in collaborating with the College on an event or taking advantage of VPCC’s services can contact Dr. Cosby at 757-825-4073 or cosbya@vpcc.edu. For details about customized and corporate training, visit https://www.vpcc.edu/workforce-development/customized-and-corporate-training/.