NOVA launches initiative to help recently unemployed federal workers

Northern Virginia Community College on Wednesday announced the launch of an initiative to help recently unemployed federal workers and contractors transition to their next careers.

Known as NOVAnext (new employment, exploration and transition), the initiative is designed to help workers to explore how their skills and experience can match in-demand jobs available in the region. It also helps workers gain skills needed to start an enterprise.

“Many talented Northern Virginians are facing sudden, unexpected changes in their professional lives,” NOVA President Anne M. Kress said in a statement. “As the community’s college, NOVA is focused on advancing opportunity, and the current moment has made our mission ever more important. We are honored to play a role in connecting residents across the region to their next steps, helping to build brighter futures.”

Tens of thousands of federal workers have received pink slips under President Donald Trump’s administration, although a federal judge in San Francisco on March 13 ordered the administration to rehire thousands of probationary workers — those who are new to their present jobs in federal departments and agencies — that were fired by the Office of Personnel Management. Unions and nearly two dozen states’ attorneys general have sued the government in multiple lawsuits challenging the firings of probationary staffers, which number about 200,000.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, responding to U.S. District Judge William Alsup’s order, said the Trump administration “will immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order.” In spite of the judicial order, Trump has made it plain that he expects to cut the 2.3 million federal workforce significantly, leaving about 145,000 Virginia residents who work for the federal government concerned about their jobs.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin responded last month with the rollout of a jobs site to help connect unemployed workers with the state’s approximately 250,000 open jobs. At an appearance at Capital One’s headquarters in Tysons, Youngkin said that the new VirginiaHasJobs.com site will “stretch across every industry imaginable,” including advanced manufacturing, health care, space, education and law enforcement.

For its part, NOVA says it will commit up to $1 million in scholarship aid to allow approved participants to enroll for free in one of 14 courses and access online workshops on resume-writing and job search techniques. Federal workers and federal contract workers are eligible for the program if they have been laid off on or after Feb. 1, reside within the NOVA service area, meet a residency requirement and fill out an online application reviewed by Virginia Career Works.

Students can also enroll in any other FastForward or NOVA course at regular tuition rates and may qualify for additional state financial aid.

Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Julie Coons said in a statement that the chamber will partner with NOVA on the initiative.

“NOVAnext is a step forward in strengthening our region’s workforce and tackling the challenge of ensuring long-term economic resilience,” Coons said. “We commend Northern Virginia Community College for their swift action, empowering laid-off federal employees for future opportunities.”