Community college measures its impact on Charlottesville area

Sixth-five percent of Charlottesville-area employers have current or former Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) students on their payrolls, according to a recent state jobs report.

The study also found that 18 percent of all employed workers in the Charlottesville area attended PVCC in the past five years.

To gauge its employment impact, the college examined the state report to find the current employment status of PVCC students living in Virginia who have been enrolled at any time in the past five years and were employed in January-June 2013 in the Charlottesville area. The area includes Charlottesville plus Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson counties.

PVCC found that 16,626 or 18 percent of people employed in the region are current or former PVCC students.

According to the jobs report, the Central Virginia industries employing PVCC students and alumni include health care, hospitality and culinary services, retail, and professional, scientific and technical services. Among the region’s top 10 employers are the County of Albemarle, Martha Jefferson Hospital, Walmart, State Farm Insurance, the city of Charlottesville and Northrop Grumman Corp.

PVCC enrolled 7,876 students in credit classes during its 2012-13 academic year and ranks 10th in enrollment among the 23 colleges in the Virginia Community College System.
Currently, 5,632 students taking credit classes in the fall 2013 semester at PVCC.

Since the college opened in 1972, more than 200,000 students have taken credit and noncredit classes.