From left, Connie Ragland and Rosemarie Baker outside Building 7 on VGCC’s Main Campus, where their offices are located. (VGCC photo)
Two professional staff members are now in place at Vance-Granville Community College to help area residents obtain education and training through a special grant.
The college, in partnership with the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board, received a $147,000 “NCWorks Job Driven Initiative” (JDI) grant in 2014, made possible by federal funds awarded to the North Carolina Division of Workforce Solutions. VGCC currently ranks second out of 12 North Carolina community colleges in the number of students who have been approved for grant funding.
Rosemarie Baker is the new JDI Grant Program Marketer and Connie Ragland is the Grant Coach, both working in the VGCC Continuing Education division. Baker’s role is to educate the community about the program and recruit potential students, after which Ragland helps to see if they qualify for the program. For those who do, Ragland tracks their progress and helps guide them to success.
Baker, a resident of Clarksville, Va., spent more than 15 years teaching business and marketing classes, most of which were in the Vance County Schools system. She graduated from Longwood College (now Longwood University) in Virginia, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with concentrations in Management and Marketing Management. Baker said that although she is new to her position, she knows the college well. “I actually began my college experience as a freshman at VGCC, I have taught classes for VGCC, and now, I’m recruiting students to take advantage of this great training under the JDI grant,” she said. Baker noted that if students meet the requirements as determined by NCWorks, the grant funding will pay for their tuition, books, certain supplies and certification testing fees.
A Henderson resident, Ragland has held various positions at area organizations including Kittrell Job Corps Center, FGV Partnership for Children, Granville County Schools and, most recently, the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce. She earned a degree in Business Administration at North Carolina A&T State University. Over the course of her career, Ragland has enjoyed working in many capacities that allowed her to help people of all ages, from young children to adults. Her proudest accomplishments, she said, have come from the benefits of operating two non-profits with her husband, R.O.Y. and New Horizons Training Group. “As the NCWorks JDI Grant Coach, I hope that this opportunity to serve will help someone be able to continue their educational pursuits because of the tuition assistance that it can provide,” Ragland said. “I’m excited to be a part of the Vance-Granville family.”
VGCC’s programs as part of the JDI are all designed to lead to industry-recognized or state-regulated credentials, and to prepare students for various entry-level jobs that address the needs of local employers. These programs include BioWork Process Technician, Certified Logistics Technician, Certified Production Technician (Manufacturing Skill Standards Council), Class B Commercial Driver License (CDL–B), Health Unit Coordinator, Health Unit Secretary, Nurse Aide, Home Health Care Aide, Emergency Medical Technician-Basic, Guest Service Gold, Hospitality (START), and Heavy Equipment Operator.
Students must meet certain eligibility requirements to participate in the grant program. For more information, contact VGCC at raglandc@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3452.