Local colleges have joined the rush to support workers affected by the Trump administration’s broad purge of the federal government’s ranks.
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), the biggest public higher education institution in Virginia, launched a NOVA New Employment, Exploration and Transition program (NOVAnext) on Wednesday (March 12) that will give laid-off federal workers and contractors free access to select classes and employment workshops.
NOVA says it will commit up to $1 million in scholarship aid to cover approved participants’ enrollment costs. The program is open to former federal workers and contractors who live in Northern Virginia and were laid off on or after Feb. 1.
The 14 available courses in NOVAnext focus on information technology, human resources and project management, and entrepreneurship. Participants can also register for online workshops about interview techniques, resume writing and the role of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
“Many talented Northern Virginians are facing sudden, unexpected changes in their professional lives,” NOVA President Anne Kress said in a press release. “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.”
One of the largest community colleges in the U.S., NOVA has more than 70,000 students across six campuses, including locations in Annandale and Springfield.
GMU offers free performing arts tickets
Separately, George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts announced yesterday (Thursday) that its venues will give free tickets for select professional and student performances to recently terminated federal workers and contractors.
The eligible performances include shows at the Center for the Arts and Harris Theatre in Fairfax as well as the Hylton Performing Arts Center on GMU’s Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, though the availability of free tickets for each event is limited.
Tickets can be reserved by phone or in person at each venue’s box office starting two Tuesdays prior to the performance. Patrons will be asked to confirm the government agency they worked for and the date when they were laid off.
“One of our Mason Arts values reflects a deep commitment to community — to manifest and celebrate the role of the arts in creating community by providing access to artistic work for all people,” College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Rick Davis said in a press release. “During this time, when some in our community may need it most, we want to make access to arts experiences easier.”
A full list of the eligible performances can be found on the college’s website.
A number of other arts organizations and businesses in the D.C. area have come out with free and discounted deals for fired federal workers in recent weeks. Offers range from drinks on the house at some local bars to complimentary theater tickets and two free tickets to the Washington Nationals’ March 24 exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Regional resource hub launched
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the federal government shed 10,000 jobs in February, the most of any sector, but with unemployment data generally lagging by weeks or even months, the full scope of the White House’s downsizing efforts at both the national and local level remains unclear.
Adding to the uncertainty, a judge in California ordered the federal government yesterday (Thursday) to reinstate thousands of recently fired probationary employees who had been recently hired or promoted and, as a result, were less protected than longer-tenured colleagues. The order could be appealed, and judges have accused the Trump administration of failing to comply with rulings in other cases.
Based on 2023 Census Bureau data, an estimated 175,436 federal workers reside in Northern Virginia, about 78,810 of them in Fairfax County, Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) leaders told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (March 11).
In addition, as of Feb. 27, the federal government canceled 106 contracts in Northern Virginia, whose economy relies heavily on public spending due to its proximity to the nation’s capital. Fairfax County alone attracts more than $38 billion in federal contracts a year, leading the country in awards for small businesses, according to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.
Fearing severe economic impacts at a time when many localities are already grappling with constrained budgets, officials in the D.C. area have scrambled to publicize resources available to affected workers.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments launched a regional federal workforce resources and data hub this week that compiles sources of information, including a Virginia jobs portal and Fairfax County’s resources hub.
The county has partnered with Faith Communities in Action to host an employment fair at Mount Olive Baptist Church (660 Old Centreville Road) in Centreville on March 23.
