TCC selected as an education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice Program

Tidewater Community College has been selected as an education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, providing Amazon’s hourly employees access to all of TCC’s career and technical programs, as well as the college’s transfer programs that enable students to a build solid academic foundation and save on the cost of college.

TCC President Marcia Conston says, “Tidewater Community College is proud to partner with Amazon’s Career Choice, providing more higher education opportunities for Amazon’s growing workforce in Hampton Roads.” She added, “TCC offers multiple, flexible pathways for students to learn while working full, or part-time. This partnership with Amazon is ideal for students who want to work for an organization that invests in their education and in their futures.”

TCC is one of the largest providers of higher education in the state of Virginia. The college has campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, as well as the Regional Automotive Center, the Center for Workforce Solutions and the Visual Arts and Design Center which is opening soon.

Amazon’s Career Choice program is an educational benefit that empowers employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. The program meets individual learners where they are on their education journey through a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including pre-paid college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas and GEDs.

Amazon Fulfillment Center in Suffolk, Virginia.

Amazon’s Suffolk location is home to around 2,500 employees who have an opportunity to take part in Amazon’s Career Choice program. The 3.8 million-square-foot facility is automated with hundreds of robots that help the workers push out the majority of Amazon packages that are delivered in Hampton Roads.

Amazon’s Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners that are focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placements, and overall offering education that leads to career success.

“We’re looking forward to Tidewater Community College coming on board as an education partner for Career Choice, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees,” said Tammy Thieman, Global Program Lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program. “We’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere.”

Boy Scout leader finds a home at TCC

Zach Grinvalsky just completed his first year at Tidewater Community College and is confident he made the right choice by attending community college. Zach chose TCC because of the flexibility it gave him to work and help support his family while receiving a college education. When starting college last year, he was unsure of what to expect but has since found a supportive community that is always there to help him achieve his dreams.

Zach is on track to earn an Associate of Science in Business Administration with the goal of pursuing a career as a corporate lawyer. He originally started at TCC undecided about what to study, but TCC’s Career Services Center helped him discover his passion for law. He says, they were very helpful in leading me on the right track and getting me connected.”

Outside of classes, Zach is the national chief of Boy Scouts of America’s Order of the Arrow, the scouts’ leadership and mentorship program. He credits TCC with preparing him for this role by teaching him effective time management and organizational skills.

He says “I took what I had learned about staying organized at school and pivoted that into my position at Order of the Arrow.” When he is not attending classes, working or fulfilling Order of the Arrow responsibilities, Zach loves to spend time outside. He and his friends go to the beach, go hiking and walk his dog, Kit.

Zach believes community college is an excellent choice for many students as it offers a lot of flexibility. He says, “TCC specifically has a lot of great programs if you want to pursue different career paths. It is something special that you should take advantage of.” He encourages students to utilize the beautiful campuses and many resources that TCC has to offer.

TCC alumna Winsome Sears elected as Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor

Tidewater Community College alumna Winsome E. Sears is Virginia’s newly elected Lieutenant Governor.

Sears is the first woman and first woman of color to serve the Commonwealth in this position. During her acceptance speech, she said, “What you’re looking at is the American dream.”

She continued by saying, “What we are going to do now is be about the business of the Commonwealth. We have things to tend to. We are going to fully fund our historically Black colleges and universities. We’re going to have safer neighborhoods, safer communities, and our children are going to get a good education.”

Sears earned an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from TCC in 1992 and went on to earn a bachelor’s in English from Old Dominion University and a master’s in organizational leadership from Regent University.

A mother and wife, Sears is also proud to have served in the United States Marines. She also served in the Virginia House of Delegates, has been the vice president of the Virginia State Board of Education and received presidential appointments to the US Census Bureau and the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Sears also built a successful business as a trained electrician and understands the importance of helping small businesses thrive. She is most proud of her community work leading a men’s prison ministry and as director of a women’s homeless shelter for The Salvation Army.

Sears joins two other Republicans who won statewide office: Glenn Youngkin will be Virginia’s next governor, and Jason Miyares will serve as attorney general.

New leadership degree prepares students for careers in management

Tidewater Community College introduces a new associate degree in leadership this spring.

The 61-credit Associate of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in Leadership prepares students for organizational leadership and management positions.

TCC’s leadership degree is designed to meet the needs of working adults, military-related students, as well as recent high school graduates.

Courses include project management; principles of supervision; principles of management; business analytics; and communications management.

Students wishing to transfer to a four-year program in leadership will be well positioned to do so.

In addition, TCC has an articulation agreement with Old Dominion University enabling students to transfer all credits into ODU’s Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies Leadership degree.

Military members may be awarded academic credit for military education, training, experience and other forms of prior learning. In addition, most courses use online, open education resources, saving students money on textbooks.

Classes are available on each of TCC’s four campuses during the day, evening and online.

Summer classes begin May 24.

For more information on TCC’s programs and services, email info@tcc.edu or call the Virtual Student Support Team at 757-822-1111.