Home News Archives General WIA At VGCC Honors Participants Who Achieved Goals In Past Year

WIA At VGCC Honors Participants Who Achieved Goals In Past Year

Everyone who participates in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program at Vance-Granville Community College has goals they strive to achieve during the year. These may include educational goals, such as earning a degree or certificate, or they may include a stint of on-the-job training in an area workplace.

Ninety WIA participants achieved their goals in the past year, and they were honored at a banquet in their honor May 17 in the college’s Civic Center.

Jimmie E. Ford, a Wayne Community College graduate who went on to become a vice president of that school and a

 

state legislator, was the principal speaker at the banquet.

Ford delivered his address, “Preparing Today for Tomorrow,” with an evangelist’s zeal. “If you continue to do the same old thing, you will get the same old results,” Ford told his audience. “If tomorrow is going to be better than today, you are going to have to change.”

Some of the advice Ford shared with the WIA participants included:

“Life is a series of opportunities. You can take advantage of them or let them pass you by.”

“Whatever the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve.”

“Find a hero to motivate you.”

“NOW is the time to prepare for the future.”

“You have done well to reach this point, but you must keep on.”

“You are somebody; you can do it!”

Ford praised the participants for reaching their goals, and he said, “You have something now, keep working at it.”

WIA is a federally-funded program to help the under-trained achieve success. Funds for the program are administered locally by the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments. Vincent Gilreath, Director of Workforce Development for Kerr-Tar COG, praised the VGCC WIA staff, saying, “The success of these students is a direct reflection on the excellence of the staff.”

The 90 successful achievers included 24 persons who graduated from Vance-Granville in May 14’s spring graduation. These included Associate Degree Nursing, Radiography, Information Systems, Business Administration, Early Childhood Associate and other curriculum program graduates. Also in the group were persons who completed truck driving and certified nursing assistant training.

One WIA honoree, Lynn Thorpe, went on to earn a Bachelor’s in Science degree from N.C. Central University.

There were 39 persons who completed Workplace Training in area school systems, businesses and industries.

Sylvia Jones, WIA coordinator at Vance-Granville, and members of the WIA staff presented certificates of completion to the successful participants.