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Northern Virginia colleges are offering free career training and performing arts tickets to federal workers and contractors who recently lost their jobs amid the Trump administration’s government downsizing.
Northern Virginia Community College launched its NOVA New Employment, Exploration and Transition program, known as NOVAnext, on March 12. The initiative provides eligible participants with free access to selected courses and employment workshops.
NOVA plans to commit as much as $1 million in scholarship assistance to cover enrollment costs. The program is open to former federal employees and contractors who live in Northern Virginia and were laid off on or after Feb. 1.
Participants can choose from 14 courses focused on information technology, human resources, project management and entrepreneurship. Online workshops will cover interviewing, résumé writing and the role of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
NOVA President Anne Kress said the college wants to help residents navigate sudden changes in their careers and connect them with new opportunities.
One of the nation’s largest community colleges, NOVA serves more than 70,000 students at six campuses, including locations in Annandale and Springfield.
George Mason Offers Free Performance Tickets
George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts is separately offering free tickets to selected professional and student performances for recently terminated federal workers and contractors.
Eligible events include performances at the Center for the Arts and Harris Theatre in Fairfax and the Hylton Performing Arts Center on George Mason’s Science and Technology Campus in Manassas. The number of complimentary tickets available for each event is limited.
Tickets may be reserved by phone or in person at each venue’s box office beginning two Tuesdays before a performance. Patrons must provide the government agency where they worked and the date of their layoff.
College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Rick Davis said the offer reflects the school’s commitment to making artistic experiences accessible during a difficult period for the community.
Other arts organizations and businesses across the Washington area have also introduced free or discounted offers for dismissed federal workers. Those deals include complimentary drinks, theater admission and two free tickets to the Washington Nationals’ March 24 exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Region Builds a Wider Support Network
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the federal government eliminated 10,000 jobs in February, more than any other sector. Because unemployment figures can lag by weeks or months, the full national and regional effects of the reductions remained uncertain.
A California judge also ordered the federal government on March 13 to reinstate thousands of recently fired probationary workers, who had been newly hired or promoted and lacked some protections available to longer-serving employees. The ruling could be appealed.
Northern Virginia was home to an estimated 175,436 federal workers based on 2023 Census Bureau data, Northern Virginia Regional Commission leaders told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 11. About 78,810 of those workers lived in Fairfax County.
As of Feb. 27, the federal government had canceled 106 contracts in Northern Virginia. Fairfax County receives more than $38 billion in federal contracts annually and leads the country in awards to small businesses, according to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.
With local governments already facing tight budgets, regional officials have been assembling and publicizing assistance for affected workers. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments launched a federal workforce resource and data hub that includes links to a Virginia employment portal and Fairfax County’s resource center.
Fairfax County and Faith Communities in Action will also hold an employment fair March 23 at Mount Olive Baptist Church, 660 Old Centreville Road in Centreville.