Federal grant will help TCC train more vets for trucking careers

Tidewater Community College received a fifth federal grant to help train military veterans and their spouses for careers in trucking.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently awarded TCC an $88,435 grant, which will be administered by the college’s Center for Military and Veterans Education (CMVE).

“This grant has had a transformative effect on the lives of so many veterans and their families, while also addressing a dire need for licensed truck drivers in Hampton Roads,” said Batanya Gipson, interim executive director of the CMVE. “We are excited to have the ability to connect even more military-related students with this opportunity.”

In 2018, the trucking industry was short roughly 60,800 drivers, which was up nearly 20% from 2017’s figure of 50,700. If current trends hold, the shortage could swell to more than 160,000 by 2028. An increase in freight demand and baby boomer retirements contribute to the demand for truckers.

Navy veteran Richard Buddemeier earned his Career Studies Certificate in Truck Driving from TCC on a Friday in fall of 2016 and started training on his new job that Saturday. For the last two years, he’s driven for Southeast Connections. Thanks to the grant, he paid TCC no tuition to complete his certificate.

“I would not be where I am today without TCC,” he said. “The program is so in-depth, so easy to comprehend. The hands-on training was extremely helpful. The book learning was very important. What I learned made me the driver I am today.”

The FMCSA grant program aims to expand the number of truck drivers nationally by assisting active-duty, veterans, transitioning military and Department of Homeland Security members and their spouses to earn to a Commercial Driver’s License. TCC is one of 16 educational institutions that received funds from the $2 million federal grant to help train veterans for jobs as commercial bus and truck drivers.

Since TCC received its first grant in 2015, 183 veterans and spouses have enrolled in the program. Recipients of the grant pay nothing to complete the one-semester, 16-credit certificate. Classes are taught at the Center for Workforce Solutions on College Drive in northern Suffolk.

Contact Alesia Wroten, CMVE program coordinator, at awroten@tcc.edu or 757-822-7714, for information on qualifying for the grant program.

New Certified Courtroom Technologist program at TCC takes just five weeks to complete

If you’re seeking a rewarding career in the courtroom, committing to law school isn’t your only option. Tidewater Community College’s inaugural Certified Courtroom Technologist program prepares students for a future in audio/visual technology in federal, state and local court systems.

The five-session program is on Saturdays only beginning Oct. 5. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first class will meet at the William & Mary Law School, where students will be introduced to the McGlothlin Courtroom, the most technologically advanced trial and appellate courtroom in the world. The other four classes will meet in the Kempsville Building at the Virginia Beach Campus.

The McGlothlin Courtroom is both classroom and laboratory, serving as a testing bed for the latest advances in courtroom and legal technology. The courtroom continually experiments with the latest hardware and software to determine its potential utility and legal effects.

Students who complete the program are eligible to sit for the Courtroom Technologist Certification Exam administered by the Center for Legal and Court Technology. Once certified, graduates will be prepared for entry-level positions that support courtroom audio/video technologies, including sound systems, evidence presentation and remote testimony.

The program cost of $3,950 includes the exam fee. It is worth four Continuing Education Units. Military-related students can use their GI Bill benefits or MyCAA to pay. Register at https://www.tcc.edu/courtroom.

Contact Batanya Gipson, executive director of TCC’s Center for Military and Veterans Education, at bgipson@tcc.edu or 757-822-7701 for information.

Management degree from TCC helps Navy vet-turned-artist launch her own business

When Korrine Maher enlisted in the Navy at 25, she envisioned a future as a Navy pilot.

One year into her service, the aviation structural mechanic fell 20 feet while maintaining a helicopter. She blacked out on the asphalt, her head slamming the pavement first, and suffered a traumatic brain injury that derailed her plans of a military future.

Six years later, Maher, 32, landed at Tidewater Community College and will graduate on May 13 with an Associate of Applied Science in Management with a Specialization in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship.

The tools she learned in that program – a mix of accounting, marketing, communications and financial management – all contributed to her launching her own business, Korrine Maher Designs, LLC, which showcases her fine arts background.

Starry trek — Korinne Maher’s “Starry Trek.”

“I always tried to run from the arts, but I realized it was something I was always good at,” said Maher, whose whimsical collection ranges from abstracts to the realistic, including a delightful piece that combines the Star Trek Enterprise with van Gogh’s The Starry Night.

Her long-term goal involves painting the Oceanfront windows with designs of the shopkeeper’s choosing. “I paint the images backward, on the glass, from inside the store,” she said, noting that technique would preserve them from nasty weather and day-to-day grime.

Maher honed artistry by earning an associate in fine arts years ago at a New Jersey community college, but TCC provided the small business tools necessary to translate those tools into a career. The support she found here came at an important time in her life.

She didn’t suffer any bone damage during the accident, but inside, Maher was broken. For the last six years, she navigated doctors’ visits and chronic pain that led to depression and anxiety. She found solace in her four animals: two cats, a soft-wire dachshund and a rescue terrier mix.

Going back to school seemed impossible initially.

“It was a daily struggle,” she said. “I had stuttering and memory issues.”

A rough first semester at TCC prompted her to apply for special accommodations, offered to students with disabilities. Being granted extra time for tests and recording classroom lectures set her up for success. Now the Phi Theta Kappa member is bound for Old Dominion University to work toward her bachelor’s in fine arts.

This semester as a work-study student at the Center for Military and Veterans Education, she also connected with other military-related students returning to school.

“I like working with veterans and working with active duty and their spouses,” she said.

Her plan is to grow the business while attending ODU.

“With the tools TCC has given me in a business degree and all the tools from my past and what I’m going to learn at ODU, I can be more successful in business and hopefully become more well-known in the area. This last semester, everything came together at TCC, and I’m grateful for that.”

TCC receives more federal grant money to train transitioning military, National Guard and Homeland Security members, reservists for trucking careers

Tidewater Community College received a fourth federal grant that will help train military veterans and their spouses for immediate employment while addressing a growing need in the economy.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) awarded TCC a $97,336 grant, which will be administered by the college’s Center for Military and Veterans Education (CMVE). Matching funds from USAA Foundation, Bank of America and LogistX Games push the total amount to $114,512.

The program aims to expand the number of the nation’s truck drivers by assisting active-duty military, veterans, National Guard members, reservists, Department of Homeland Security members and spouses of all those groups in obtaining a Commercial Driver’s License. TCC is one of 13 technical and community colleges that received funds from the $2.3 million FMCSA grant program.

The 16-week Career Studies Certificate in Trucking is offered at TCC’s Center for Workforce Solutions in northern Suffolk. Day and evening classes are available.

In the last four years, the FMCSA has awarded the college more than $554,000 in grant money to train veterans for careers in trucking. More than 150 military-related students have received training through the program.

“Several graduates have even purchased trucks to start businesses of their own,” said Batanya Gipson, interim director of the CMVE. “We are proud that TCC continues to help veterans and their families find career stability while serving the economic needs of the community and the region.”

Industry sources point to an aging workforce, high turnover and increasing freight demand as major reasons behind the massive truck driver shortage.

For more information on applying for the grant, contact Alesia Wroten, program coordinator at the CMVE, at awroten@tcc.edu or 757-822-7714.

TCC’s natural gas training program recognized for its positive impact

Tidewater Community College’s partnership with Virginia Natural Gas and Virginia Gas Operators Association to train veterans and transitioning military will be recognized for outstanding achievement in October.

The award from the state’s Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy’s Division of Glass and Oil acknowledges a joint venture or partnership that made a positive impact on the natural gas industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. TCC will receive the award at a dinner in Abingdon.

TCC developed the workforce development initiative last year that connects transitioning military and their family members to meaningful employment in the natural gas industry.

The SkillBridge-approved weeklong training program on the Virginia Beach Campus is in collaboration with Virginia Natural Gas, the City of Virginia Beach and Virginia Gas Operators Association member companies.

The expansion of pipeline infrastructure replacement programs across the state requires gas companies and their contractors to hire skilled labor to advance pipeline modernization efforts. Two cohorts of 11 students each have graduated with a third group beginning on the Virginia Beach Campus on Sept. 24. GI Bill® funding is offered through TCC’s Center for Military and Veterans Education (CMVE).

“Everyone who has completed the course has had a face-to-face job interview from one of the employers supporting the program,” said Chris Blow, project coordinator, military contract programs for the CMVE. “Our regional partners have contributed to the overall success of this program.”

Taught by experienced utility professionals, the curriculum focuses primarily on natural gas pipeline safety, code compliance and operations. It is designed to provide veterans with basic working knowledge that will be useful in helping to prepare them for employment in the natural gas industry.

For information on the program and eligibility, contact Blow at cblow@tcc.edu or call 757-822-7725.

Navy veteran paying it forward

Coby Dillard stumbled into college one sunny afternoon while walking down Granby Street in Norfolk. The Navy veteran had just completed work with Gov. McDonnell’s campaign and was looking for a job to support his family.

He realized he was on Tidewater Community College’s Norfolk Campus.

“I stepped into the veterans services office and when I left, I had a full course load and a part-time job as a work-study student,” Dillard said.

Eight years later, Dillard is the coordinator of veterans and military services at University of California at Santa Barbara and working on his doctorate in higher education leadership and management through Regent University.

“This is my first time leading a program, and I’m excited to build relationships with veterans and military-related students,” Dillard said. “It’s my greatest joy to connect students with resources and help them find their own paths to success.”

Dillard earned his Associate of Science in Social Sciences from Tidewater Community College in 2012. He went on to earn his bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies at Norfolk State University and a master’s in human service counseling from Regent University.

While at TCC, Dillard held many positions from financial aid assistant to academic advisor in the college’s Center for Military and Veterans Education. He also worked briefly with military students at Regent University.

As a TCC student, Dillard was president of the Student Government Association on the Norfolk Campus from 2011-12.

Dillard credits several faculty and staff members with investing in his future, including Linda Jacobs, a veterans benefits advisor he met that first day on campus.

Now Dillard is paying it forward.

“Everyone is going to leave the military at some point. I’ve seen so many people come to me with three days left in the service and no idea of the next steps,” he said. “I help veterans, military spouses and active duty military navigate their benefits and plan for the future.

“I feel like this is a calling. I’ve changed from someone who hated school to a lifelong learner, and I know it’s going to impact my family.”

Dillard and wife Trieasha have a son, DJ, who is 11 and a daughter, Allie, 9.

For students coming after him, Dillard promises, “If I can do it, so can you. Find what you love and then do the work to get there.”

On first visit to TCC as governor, Northam meets with women veterans

In February, Gov. Ralph Northam and the General Assembly declared the third full week in March as Women Veterans Week in Virginia. On Friday, the inaugural observance concluded with a roundtable at Tidewater Community College’s Virginia Beach Campus to give female veterans a chance to bend the governor’s ear on issues important to them.

The event was organized by the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs and TCC’s Center for Military and Veterans Education.

Northam said his administration will continue efforts from the previous administration of Gov. Terry McAuliffe to improve veterans’ experiences in Virginia.

“We have effectively ended veteran homelessness,” he told the 13 members of the roundtable. “Through our Virginia Values Veterans – V3 – program more than 31,000 vets have been hired.” The goal, he said, is to keep valuable, well-trained former military personnel in Virginia.

He noted that Virginia has the largest percentage of female veterans in the country, and he wanted to hear from the panelists about their challenges.

Oluyinka Adelegan, who served in the U.S. Army as a Medical Service Corps officer, said her transition into civilian life was positive. Given her medical training, she had job offers from several health systems but added, “It’s a tough decision whether to stay in Virginia.”

ralph-northam-women-veterans-roundtable — Gov. Ralph Northam listens to panelist at Women Veterans Roundtable

“No it’s not,” the governor responded with a laugh, adding that he wants to keep medically trained veterans in Virginia by further streamlining the process of getting corpsmen and medics into civilian jobs through Virginia’s Military Medics and Corpsmen (MMAC) Program.

The women made a point that, after 20 years or more of service, veterans are eligible for benefits including health care and mental health counseling. “But if you don’t have 20 years or you don’t have a job, you’re on your own,” said one panelist. Northam said that situation would improve if a state budget is approved with an expansion of Medicaid.

Child care is another hurdle for not only veterans, but also active-duty service members – especially single parents. “If you don’t have income, you can’t find child care and you can’t go to school,” said Cassandra Harris, an on-base TCC representative at Naval Station Norfolk.

Child care providers need to be trained in how to deal with children whose parents are in the military, especially when they are deployed. “They need extra care,” said Dawn Johns, a TCC student. “They need someone to watch and understand their actions and behavior.” She said her daughter attends TCC’s Child Development Center, operated by the YWCA of South Hampton Roads, on the Portsmouth Campus.

Kathy Owens, a retired Navy pilot, said some reciprocity or coordination among states with school calendars, GPA calculations and advanced placement credits would also be ideal.

However, the biggest complaints were reserved for something the governor does not control: VA medical centers, especially the one in Hampton. “They’re swamped,” said Juanita Williams, a Navy vet. “The VA is the primary health care provider for so many.”

Asked what she would do if she were governor for the day, one panelist said, “I would have an easy button.’ I want someone I can call, and if they don’t know the answer they’ll find out, not transfer me 15 times.”

Another said, “We shouldn’t have to call our senators and representatives to get help.”

“Our veterans should be at the top of the queue, not the bottom,” Northam said. “I hear you. I don’t have the answers, but my administration and I are committed to working with the VA and finding solutions.”

Two new members of the House of Delegates from Virginia Beach, Del. Cheryl Turpin and Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler, were on hand. Also among those in attendance were representatives for Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine, Rep. Donald McEachin and Rep. Bobby Scott.

Veronica Cianetti, director of military student support at the CMVE and an Army veteran, said TCC is unique in its wraparound services for veterans, noting, “It was great to have Governor Northam here today so he could get a little taste of what we do at TCC.”

Learn digital court reporting in just six weeks

Tidewater Community College prepares students for certification in the high demand, cutting edge field of digital court reporting.

Sponsored by TCC’s Center for Military and Veterans Education (CMVE), the six-week program trains students in court and deposition procedures and practices, audio and video equipment and the complete process of advanced digital court reporting.

SkillBridge-approval enables eligible transitioning service members within 180 days of separation, with command approval, to participate in training as their place of duty. Students who successfully complete program requirements are guaranteed an offer of employment with Veterans Reporters Inc., either in Virginia or in their offices nationwide.

“There is a looming critical need for court reporters across the country,” said Batanya Gipson, project manager for military contract programs at the CMVE. “Many court systems are looking to digital court reporting as the answer. The digital court reporting program at TCC offers students the ability to make themselves marketable in this new and growing field.”

The next session begins April 16 and concludes May 25. Classes meet weekdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on the Virginia Beach Campus. Additional sessions are scheduled for:

June 18 – July 27
Aug. 20 – Sept. 28
Oct. 22 – Dec. 5

The course, recognized by the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT), prepares graduates for the national certification exam.

Donna Jenkins completed the program last fall and was hired immediately by Veteran Reporters Inc.

“You have to be a very meticulous person,” said Jenkins, who works in Washington, D.C. “You have to be committed and you have to recognize the seriousness of what you’re doing because people’s lives depend on what you’re doing and the record you’re taking.”

Students must have a high school diploma or equivalent and basic keyboarding and computer skills to enroll.

Although the program is geared to transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses, enrollment is open to anyone.

The cost of the program is $3,950.

Students who complete the program earn 24 Continuing Education Units, a TCC certificate of completion and membership in AAERT.

Military-related students should contact the CMVE for information on using their education benefits to enroll in the digital court reporting program. Contact Gipson at 757-822-7724 or bgipson@tcc.edu or email military@tcc.edu to enroll in the program.