RICHMOND — Virginia’s Community Colleges’ FastForward program, the commonwealth’s premier workforce development initiative, saw a 17% increase in student enrollments in fiscal year 2024, resulting in the all-time highest enrollments, the organization announced.
In addition, those who completed the program saw their median annual wages increase by an average of 50%.
According to Virginia’s Community Colleges, the short-term workforce development program is funded through New Economy Workforce Credential Grants, which are administered by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). The program is the first of its kind in the nation, providing training for industry credentials that are aligned with in-demand jobs, and includes tuition assistance for those who need support with paying for the program.
In-demand jobs that FastForward prepares students for include thousands in fields such as Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Logistics and Transportation, Healthcare, Welding and Manufacturing, Skilled Trades and Infrastructure, Education, and Business and Customer Service.
The organization added that the FastForward credential programs allow individuals to learn occupation-specific skills and earn a recognized credential in weeks or months, rather than years. Eligible students pay only one-third of the cost if they successfully complete the program. Many students qualify for financial assistance and pay little or no tuition.
“Our Fast Forward initiative has proven highly successful, having already awarded more than 64 thousand credentials to Virginians looking for meaningful careers in high-demand industries,” said Chancellor David Doré. “Since 2016, Virginia has invested about 96 million dollars to support students in the program, and its graduates have earned over 6 billion dollars in wages. That’s a tremendous return on investment.”
SCHEV Director Scott Fleming was equally enthusiastic about FastForward’s record-breaking performance.
“These grants are incredibly effective tools to rapidly increase the number of workers available for high-demand jobs in the Commonwealth,” he said. “The popularity of the programs has grown exponentially, and we anticipate that growth to continue in the future as they continue to offer a rapid acceleration of earning power in Virginia’s dynamic economy, preparing students not only for the next step in their career, but for a lifetime of earning and learning opportunities.”
Outcomes
Of the 15,753 students who enrolled in the program this past fiscal year, research shows that 14,864 (94%) completed the training and of those, 10,887 went on to earn a credential (69%), according to Virginia’s Community Colleges. Commercial driver’s license, medical assistant, construction, and phlebotomy technician were the most popular programs.
Before enrolling in FastForward, students earned a median annual wage of $21,300. Twelve months after completing the program, that median wage rose to $31,851, a $10,551 change representing a 50% increase compared to the median pre-wage, it added.
FastForward programs are available at all 23 of Virginia’s Community Colleges.