VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Unemployment has reached record highs during the pandemic. The latest report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a 6.2 percent unemployment rate in Hampton Roads. That's up more than 2.5 percent since before the pandemic began.
Also high is the critical need for more workers in health care.
Sandy Mead is the National Director of Workforce Development at MedCerts-- a company that provides short-term, online career training in healthcare and IT certification. The company is providing training for free through the Virginia Beach Pandemic Relief Partnership.
"To be able to be a part of upskilling those that have been affected by COVID... is both rewarding for me individually... and for Hampton Roads," said Mead.
"Not only are we helping the individuals begin careers, we're also helping the healthcare organizations in the Virginia Beach area," said Mead.
Shawn Avery is President/CEO of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. He said efforts like this will help communities bounce back from the impacts of COVID-19.
"Educational providers like MedCerts and others that are doing health care training are really helping to prepare the workforce that we need... to really help us recover from this pandemic and grow our economy going forward," said Avery.
While many hard-hit residents are trying to return to work, Avery said this could be the helping hand they need. "We're really... working with our health care providers to identify those career opportunities that can give individuals hope," said Avery.
You have until April 30th to enroll in MedCerts' online training, which wraps up in July. To learn more, visit https://medcerts.com/ or email training@medcerts.com.
To learn more about the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, visit https://www.vcwhamptonroads.org/.
There are other job training opportunities available through the Virginia Beach Pandemic Relief Partnership. For more information, visit https://vbrelief.org/.