RICHMOND – As Virginians are considering their career choices, a new tool from Virginia’s Community Colleges is showcasing the “Hot Jobs” where educated workers are expected to be in demand both statewide and in regional markets for the next five years.
The Virginia Hot Jobs Index is presented by the Virginia Education Wizard (http://www.vawizard.org/) and powered by JobsEQ®, proprietary software from Chmura Economics & Analytics. The index reflects the top 10 occupations where the demand for workers exceeds the current supply, referred to as the demand gap. JobsEQ compares the supply of students relative to the hiring needs expected of growing industries in Virginia.
The Virginia Hot Jobs Index tracks occupations where students can get the requisite jobs training and education at Virginia’s Community Colleges. The index also reflects the career coaching available via the Virginia Education Wizard, launched by Virginia’s Community Colleges in March to provide real-time information about careers and colleges to help students and families make informed choices.
“Students and parents want to know how their course of study matches with the job market, and the Virginia Hot Jobs Index gives them an up-to-date picture of hiring projections in our state,” said Dr. Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “Especially in this recession, time and money are in short supply for individuals and families. People want to know how they can make the most of the knowledge and skills our colleges offer them. The index showcases the critical jobs available to students when they earn their community college degrees.”
For example, community colleges historically educate nearly half of the new registered nurses hired in Virginia each year. The index can help to close a pressing hiring need by illustrating where prospective students can get the necessary training for high-demand jobs.
“One of the most frequent questions we hear from students is ‘where does this all lead?’” DuBois added. “This index points to the jobs that people can and should be pursuing through our colleges.”
“It’s also important for students to consider which occupations are in decline in their region, so they don’t end up having to be retrained for a new occupation in the near future,” said Chris Chmura, president and chief economist for Chmura Economics & Analytics.
The index also reinforces the power of the Wizard, which offers a forward-looking prospective by giving users projections of the jobs that will be available in their hometown or whatever state market they target. The Wizard then outlines the education path and financial resources available to help students get to where they want to go with their career.
Since its March debut, the Wizard has attracted more than 130,000 individuals, who visited more than 160,000 times. Most visitors spend over five minutes at the site. Of those visitors, more than 22,000 people created profiles, with just over half of those already affiliated with Virginia’s Community Colleges – mostly as students.
Statewide, the inaugural “Hot Jobs” and annual demand gaps are:
- Registered Nurses (550)
- Computer Software Engineers, Applications (310)
- Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks (241)
- Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts (191)
- Management Assistants (181)
- Medical Analysts (158)
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (147)
- Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education (101)
- Teacher Assistants (94)
- Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors (90)
The Wizard guides users from finding a career to earning the right job credentials or preparing for continued education:
- Careers: Users can take Interest and Values assessments to find careers that match their interests. They also can explore a specific job and get real-time details about the demand for those jobs and local salaries.
- Programs and Majors: The Wizard details programs across Virginia’s Community Colleges, including majors and careers. Users can investigate courses offered across the state – or just those at their nearest campus.
- Paying for College: Users can find out what they can expect to pay at different colleges, then get estimates on how much financial assistance they might receive. The site also details scholarships available solely for community college students.
- Transfer: The Wizard outlines pathways to four-year degrees, including guaranteed admission to 25 Virginia institutions. The tool plans, tracks and prompts necessary steps for easy transfers.
Registering with the Virginia Education Wizard is easy. The Wizard’s life-like online guide, Ginny, helps users build their profiles, which the site then uses to tailor information according to users’ interests. Users can create their profiles in a few quick steps that take less than 5 minutes.
Virginia’s Community Colleges developed the proprietary Wizard with $2.5 million in federal funds. Programming was completed by Richmond-based Chmura Economics & Analytics and internal IT professionals at Virginia’s Community Colleges. The career and jobs features draw in real-time market data pulled from Chmura Economics & Analytics’ proprietary and patented JobsEQ.
About Virginia’s Community Colleges: Created more than 40 years ago, Virginia’s Community Colleges are 23 individual schools located on 40 campuses across the Commonwealth. Nearly half a million students take classes at one of Virginia’s Community Colleges. Together the colleges enroll more than two-thirds of the total public undergraduate population in Virginia. For more information, please visit myfuture.vccs.edu.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jeff Kraus, Virginia’s Community Colleges, 804.819.4949 / 804.426.6277 (mobile)
Jon Newman, The Hodges Partnership, 804.788.1414 / 804.357.4871 (mobile)