Virginia’s Community Colleges received major news yesterday when the Department of Labor announced the distribution of $500 million in federal funds to community colleges nationwide – with Virginia a major “winner.”

With Tidewater Community College as the coordinating college, a consortium of all 23 Virginia Community Colleges received the second-highest grant amount of $24.1 million and what may be the biggest single competitive grant award for community colleges in Virginia.

Virginia’s project will be targeted to strategies that will help realize the goals of the Achieve 2015 strategic plan to increase the numbers of students graduating, transferring or completing a workforce credential. The project includes partnering with employers and working with the Workforce Investment Boards across the state.

Specific targets of Virginia’s projects include:

• Creating a new network of adult career coaches at one-stops and community colleges throughout Virginia that will follow students through their programs all the way to job acquisition;
• A new Health Sciences Career Studies Certificate that will demonstrate integrating strategies;
• Completing redesign of developmental education curriculums, including provision for significant faculty professional development;
• Expanding information on Virginia Education Wizard for course planning, including more noncredit workforce offerings; and
• Implementing an automated early advising warning system promoting “active outreach” to students at all colleges.

The grants come through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant program and are a successor to the American Graduation Initiative. For an look at the national picture, see today’s Inside Higher Education about the competitive nature of the funds.

The Department of Labor also has a news release that shows state by state disbursements.

This three-year award will help Virginia’s Community Colleges train adults for good paying jobs and play a significant role in reengineering efforts.

And it’s no small boost for Achieve 2015′s Resources goal  – to bring in $550 million in outside funds by 2015 –  as well.