Vol State

Apprenti TN, a technology-focused apprenticeship program, celebrated another group of graduates at Volunteer State Community College recently, with appropriate COVID-19 precautions. The ten graduates completed a four-part curriculum taught by the Nashville Software School, leading to national certifications with tech classes that included: IT Fundamentals for Computer Support and Troubleshooting; Networking Configuration and Support; Operating Systems Support Fundamentals; and Security Concepts.

The first group of graduates in the Volunteer State Community College Nursing program celebrated a virtual pinning ceremony recently. The event was put together as a video highlighting the students and their accomplishments. Seven students from the Gallatin campus and eleven students from the Livingston campus each earned an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Nursing. It prepares them to apply to sit for licensure as a Registered Nurse. Thus far, eleven students have taken the NCLEX and all eleven have passed.

Over the last 50 years, the U.S. has suffered from a growing teacher shortage, with fewer and fewer college students majoring in education.

This shortage has hurt schools across the country, but small, rural school districts are often the hardest hit by this educational crisis. In Tennessee, communities such as Robertson County need more teachers, and they need them now.

Volunteer State Community College has named Cassie Koester as the new dean of Nursing. She will supervise the Vol State RN Nursing associate of applied science (AAS) degree program. It’s a two-year degree to prepare students to apply to sit for licensure as a Registered Nurse, held on the Gallatin and Livingston campuses.

Extensive mentoring, counseling, and tutoring are just a few of the services that are provided in the TRIO Student Support Services program at Volunteer State Community College. The program has been awarded $1.375 million in funding by the U.S. Department of Education for another five-year cycle: 2020-2025. Vol State has served students with TRIO services since 2005. 

Volunteer State Community College today announced it is one of 12 schools chosen to participate in the 2020-2021 OpenStax Institutional Partnership Network.  As a participant in the network’s first-year program Vol State will work actively to build and execute a strategy that will encourage greater use of free, flexible textbooks among its faculty and students.

Job searches have become more important than ever with current economic conditions. Volunteer State Community College is announcing three job search training modules as a free community service. The training modules represent a sequential, step-by-step, approach to conducting a successful job search in today’s market. They include: Module1: Job Search Strategy; Module 2: Communication Vehicles; and Module 3: Interviewing Skills and Job Offers. All three videos are available on YouTube. For links to each video see below:

Job Search Strategy

Students considering taking a gap year, time off from college due to the pandemic, may want to consider the eventual lost wages- up to $90,000 over their career. That’s according to a new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It said that there are sizeable hidden costs in taking even just a year off from college, including a wage gap wedge that could stick with the student throughout their career.

Volunteer State Community College is offering two classes this fall at the Smith County Chamber of Commerce location in Carthage. Math 1010 will be held on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and Sociology 1010 on Thursdays at 6 p.m. Each class will be conducted via Zoom video conferencing. These are both general education classes that apply to many degree paths. Class size will be restricted for COVID-19 precautions. The Chamber classes can be especially helpful for people who have limited online capability at home.