Featured photo: A few of the short-term training opportunities highlighted include healthcare, automotive transportation, manufacturing, cosmetology, public safety, agriculture, and electrician certification.
Marketing & Communications Dept.
At Blue Ridge Community College, short-term training programs are a way for students to advance their current career or break into a new career field in a time frame that suits their schedule.
Two common questions students often have of higher education are “how much will it cost, and how long will it take?”
Blue Ridge is known for affordability, thanks to the College’s Financial Aid office and numerous scholarships provided through the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation. Short-term training has the quick turnaround time covered.
Blue Ridge intentionally builds programs that suit the needs of a diverse set of students. The short-term training program page provides a quick look at the credentials students can earn in whatever time frame suits their needs.
“As a college, we know we need to provide short-term training opportunities for individuals to get into – or back into – the workforce as quickly as possible,” explained Dr. Scott Queen, Blue Ridge’s vice president of economic and workforce development. “We also need to provide opportunities that are relevant for local employment. That’s why we are constantly communicating with our employer partners to adjust programming in response to the needs of our businesses and industries.”
At Blue Ridge Community College, there are more than 60 certifications that can be earned in less than a month. There are many more that can be earned in two-to-three, three-to-six and six-to-twelve month intervals. The programs prepare students for successful careers in business, construction, food safety, healthcare, manufacturing, public safety, real estate, transportation and many more.
Blue Ridge also created these training opportunities to be “stackable.” In other words, a student can earn a certificate in a month or less and then put their knowledge to work on the job or during their career search. If at a later date that student wants to return to Blue Ridge to earn more credentials in that field, many are designed to give them a headstart on the next education goal.
Learn more about short-term training at blueridge.edu.