Virginia offers a number of energy education programs to help individuals get into our industry. The programs listed below are ones which the Virginia Energy Workforce Consortium has helped develop and implement.
In addition to the programs listed below, there are many certificates, degrees, and workforce programs which will help prepare someone for our industry. Some examples include: Engineering, Engineering Technology, Instrumentation and Controls, Technology degrees (Electrical, Mechanical, etc.), and more.
High School / Career and Technical Education Center Pathway
- Energy & Power Certificate Course (Energy Industry Fundamentals)
- Energy & Power Competency List, Virginia CTE Resource Center
- Virginia High Schools offering Energy courses and curricula:
- Bridging Communities Regional Career & Technical Center (course 8491 – Engineering Studies with Energy Industry Fundamentals)
- Brunswick High School (course 8448 – Energy & Power)
- Chesterfield Career and Technical Center (course 8448 – Energy & Power)
- Cumberland High School (courses 8448 – Energy & Power, 8414 – Sustainable & Renewable Technologies)
- Dinwiddie High School (course 8448 – Energy & Power)
- Greene County Technical Education Center (course 8848 – Energy & Power)
- Louisa County High School (course 8448 – Energy & Power)
- Rockbridge County High School (courses 8448 – Energy & Power, 8408 – Renewable Energy, 8414 – Sustainable & Renewable Technologies)
- Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (Mechatronics with Energy Industry Fundamentals)
- Surry County High School (course 8448 – Energy & Power)
***Additional high schools are seeking approval to offer this course.
Community College Certificates and Degrees
- Energy Technology CSC, Central Virginia Community College
- Energy Technology CSC, John Tyler Community College
- Energy Technology CSC, Paul D. Camp Community College
- Renewable Energy Technologies CSC, Tidewater Community College
- Electrical Technology A.A.S degree, Tidewater Community College
- Power Line Worker Training Program, Southside Virginia Community College
- Power Line Worker Training, Wytheville Community College
- Solar Technician Associate Boot Camp, Piedmont Virginia Community College
- (anticipated Fall 2019) Solar Technician Training Program, Southside Virginia Community College
- (anticipated 2019-2020) Electrical Utilities and Substation Technologies, Danville Community College
College and University Degrees
A number of Virginia’s colleges and universities offer degree programs with a focus on energy and nuclear.
Undergraduate
- B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Center for Power and Energy, Virginia Tech
- Energy Engineering Interdisciplinary Minor, Old Dominion University
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology – Nuclear Systems, Old Dominion University (This program is available only to graduates of the United States Navy Nuclear Power School or Nuclear Reactor Operator training at Dominion Energy.)
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a Nuclear Engineering minor, Virginia Tech
Graduate
- Advanced Engineering Certificate in Energy Systems, Old Dominion University
- M.S. / Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Center for Power and Energy, Virginia Tech
- M.S. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering (online), Virginia Commonwealth University
- Ph.D. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University
- M.S. / M. Eng. Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering Program, Virginia Tech
- Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program (CGEP)
Workforce / Industry Certificates
- Energy & Utilities Construction Training Program, Goodwill of Greater Washington D.C.
Military and Veterans Programs
- Troops to Energy Jobs
- DoD / Military SkillBridge Programs
- Solar Ready Vets, Tidewater Community College
- Natural Gas Training, Tidewater Community College
- Credits2Careers
- Virginia Community College System – The Credits2Careers Veterans Portal will allow veterans to upload their Joint Services Transcript to see instantly how many academic credits their military training and experience could translate into helping to accelerate the veterans time to a credential, certificate, or degree.
Veterans Resource Centers at Virginia’s Community Colleges
Seven of Virginia’s Community Colleges are part of the commonwealth’s VERITAS (Veteran Education Resource Initiative for Transition, Advising, and Success) program. Those colleges include:
- Germanna Community College (Fredericksburg area)
- J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Richmond area)
- John Tyler Community College (Richmond area)
- Northern Virginia Community College (Northern Virginia area)
- Tidewater Community College (Hampton Roads area)
- Thomas Nelson Community College (Virginia Peninsula area)
- Virginia Western Community College (Roanoke area)
Education and Career Navigation Tools and Additional Resources