Upskilling
Forget the Career Ladder—Forge Your Own Path
Looking for a job in Northern Virginia? We’re here to help connect you with top employers throughout the region in a range of fields, from tech to sales to nursing.
Today’s employees will make five to seven career changes over their working lives – and Northern Virginia is the center of modern career opportunity. Whether you simply need a change of pace or have yet to discover your passion, you can safely take the leap in Northern Virginia thanks to our ample resources dedicated to helping people upskill, retrain or switch industries altogether. Access resources below to help you get started with your job search.
Jumpstart Your Career
Audience: Students
Description: The Digital Tech Credential is a free program for university students in the Capital Region to gain the digital skills needed for entry-level jobs in this region.
Audience: Cyber Interested Jobseekers
Description: The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) is creating an ecosystem of innovation in cybersecurity and cyber-physical systems security within Virginia. Find resources and information for cyber practitioners.
Audience: Cyber Interested Jobseekers
Description: The Specialized Training Engagement Program (STEP) combines a paid one-year apprenticeship program with a Virginia-based employer with in-depth competency-based, online cybersecurity training.
Audience: Cyber Interested Students
Description: A pre-apprenticeship program has been created to prepare students to enter the in-demand cybersecurity career field upon graduation.
Audience: Students
Description: The Commonwealth Stem Industry Internship Program connects students to paid undergraduate internships in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Audience: All Jobseekers
Description: FastForward is a short-term workforce training program for industry credentials and certifications for the most in-demand jobs across the Commonwealth.
GMU Continuing and Professional Education
Audience: All Jobseekers
Description: Mason Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) brings the best of the university to professionals seeking to advance in their careers, with 35 years of experience providing technical knowledge and industry-based micro-credentials and professional certificates.
Audience: All Jobseekers
Description: NOVA Workforce offers continuing education and professional development training for today’s workforce. Learn new, in-demand skills, or prepare for industry credentials, and advance your career.
ODU Cybersecurity Risk Management Graduate Certificate
Audience: Cyber Interested Jobseekers
Description: Graduates will be prepared with the theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and project experience that will enable them to become highly skilled, job-ready cybersecurity professionals.
Audience: IT Interested Jobseekers
Description: Revature offers a two-year program to work on enterprise-level, real-world projects contracted by top companies, building your resume and portfolio while gaining free training.
Audience: IT Interested Jobseekers
Description: Smoothstack offers an immersive training program that kick starts IT careers and delivers a singular source of IT talent.
Audience: Students
Description: A two-month tech skills and career preparation workshop for junior and senior college students based in Northern Virginia.
Audience: Cyber Interested Jobseekers
Description: The VA Cyber Skills Academies (VCSA) provide world-class, hands-on training to candidates who want to start or expand their career in the cybersecurity field.
Audience: All Jobseekers
Description: Virginia Career Works operates seven Career Centers in the Northern Virginia Region, with knowledgeable center staff to assist employers, job and career seekers, and youth with a comprehensive range of free employment, training, and career development services.
Your Path to Skilled Talent
Description: It is a primary goal of the CCI Nova Node to widen the pipeline of career ready cybersecurity talent. Contact Liza Durant on the website to learn more about the help CCI can offer with hiring cybersecurity interns.
Description: Civilian Cyber identifies high aptitude candidates including transitioning veterans, under served groups and displaced workers and outlines their personalized learning roadmap to deliver the right talent for today and the future.
Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program
CSIIP is a great way to access statewide science, technology, engineering and math talent from a single online source. Interns offer a fresh perspective on the latest technologies and can provide an ongoing source of potential future employees.
Description: Here to serve as your community partner, FastForward connects your business to candidates with certifications in hand and the soft skills learned from a regimented academic environment to be successful on your site from day one.
Greater Washington Apprenticeship Network
Description: The Network’s mission is to help employers in the Region explore and develop an apprentice-based model of recruitment and training.
Description: LEAD4IT is an employer-driven, Department of Labor-funded initiative to address the shortage of skilled workers in the IT sector by assisting companies to design or expand work-based learning and training options to develop the candidates they need.
Description: The mission of [email protected] is to rewire the US labor market so that all individuals Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) can work, learn, and earn to their full potential.
Description: Revature helps you bridge the technology talent gap by identifying & developing your future employee and upskilling your experienced workforce.
Description: Smoothstack provides a sustainable and scalable supply of skilled IT talent—without the time-wasting frustrations and mismatches of IT staffing.
Description: With no monetary commitment necessary, you can partner with the Academy to gain access to a pipeline of recent cyber graduates.
Description: The VCW offers an employer-focused team that can help meet the unique needs of business customers, be it Recruitment and Screening, Employee Development/Retention, or Consultative and Planning Services.
For more information, please visit our Employer Resources page.