Online Wizard Helps Virginians Find Careers

Squeezing every penny out of personal budgets. Raising a family as a single parent. Working two jobs. Believe me, I understand every challenge that students at Virginia's community colleges face today. Thirty years ago, I was in the same place.

My mother raised my three younger siblings and me on her minimum-wage secretarial salary. Tuition for community college was $275, toward which I received only a $50 Pell Grant. To make ends meet, I pumped gas three nights a week and all day Saturday and Sunday. While today's tuition and income levels are higher, that tough balancing act hasn't changed.

Community college took a chance on me, and I became the first in 13 generations to go to college. When I walked into my first classroom, I didn't have a career plan, but community college became my launching pad: I started teaching at those same schools and eventually earned my doctoral degree and advanced into administrative roles. I still see myself in every student I meet.

After all, community college is a starting point for nearly 400,000 Virginians seeking the education and work force training they need. As we navigate today's uncertain economic climate, Virginia's community colleges are playing an ever-more meaningful role in helping residents make smart choices about their future. While workforce development has always been at the heart of our mission, more Virginians now are looking to us for affordable training and education.

In outlining steps to put our country on the road to recovery, President Barrack Obama recently singled out the critical need for Americans to pursue higher education or career training. More specifically, he noted that three-fourths of the fastest-growing occupations in our country, including dental hygienists, cardiovascular technologists and engineers, require more than a high school diploma -- a level only half of our citizens have achieved. He called on all Americans to commit to at least one year of continued education.

Virginia's community colleges are on the front lines of responding to our nation's economic and educational challenges. Perhaps more than any other state, Virginia -- having earned top grades for a skilled work force and as an attractive place to do business -- is poised to meet the demands of a more highly educated and skilled workforce. And yet, it will require that we continue to make strategic investments that drive our work force forward and help Virginians align with tomorrow's jobs and careers.

The track record of Virginia's community colleges demonstrates that we can be a critical part of the solution. For example, 90 percent of all first responders, including, EMTs, police officers and firefighters, earn their education from a community college. About half of Virginia's new nurses graduated from a community college.

Two-thirds of the undergraduates in public schools in Virginia today are enrolled in one of our community colleges -- paying only a third of the total costs of tuition and fees at four-year campuses and potentially benefiting from guaranteed transfer agreements to complete their bachelor's degrees. And Census Bureau reports show that community college education alone can boost Virginians' median salary by almost 20 percent.

Virginia's community colleges got their start 43 years ago by being willing to do what other institutions would not or could not do: respond to Virginia's unmet work force and education needs. That has since become our core mission. A mission that is different from but just as essential to Virginia's success as the mission of research institutions and liberal arts universities. From time to time those needs change and our colleges must be agile enough and quick enough to change with them.

Innovation fuels our continued relevance.

That's why we developed the Virginia Education Wizard (http://www.vawizard.org), offering the right tool at the right time for students of all levels.

This online tool delivers easy access to information that students and families want to know about career paths, educational offerings, and college costs. The Wizard delivers real-time answers so Virginians can plan and, more important, control their future.

Users can go online to explore different careers, learn about what those jobs pay in the local market, and map out the college courses that will get them where they want to go. The Wizard guides users in applying for financial aid and prompts action, such as meeting registration deadlines for the semester's classes.

When I meet informally with students, I often ask if they raised their goals while in community college: 90 percent say yes.

It's now time for us as a society to raise our goals as well, to build an education system that prepares each and every student for the challenges and workplace of tomorrow. The Wizard can help us do so. It is a resource to keep more students engaged in making smart choices, achieving goals, and continuing to dream.

With the Wizard as our new front door, we are supporting Virginians in learning and improving their lives, ultimately preparing motivated individuals who will put their experiences to work for Virginia. I invite you to come visit the Virginia Education Wizard and see how it can improve your life.

Glenn DuBois is chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, which includes 23 schools with 40 campus locations across the state. He can be reached at .