Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star: Spanberger digs FredCAT certification training

Sep 06, 2022
Economy & Jobs
Education
In the News

FREDERICKSBURG FREE LANCE-STAR, STAFF REPORTS

Over the course of his career, Ben Sherman has seen some remarkable students go through the workforce programs offered at the Fredericksburg Center for Advanced Technology. But one stands out.

A single mom with a child whose hairdressing career had been upended by COVID was looking for a new opportunity. She turned to FredCAT, which is run by Germanna Community College, where she learned to operate heavy machinery. “It changed her life,” he told Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D–7th, on Tuesday. “And you can’t put a dollar amount on that.”

Spanberger was visiting FredCAT to learn more about the range of certification programs Germanna offers at its campus in Fredericksburg’s Central Park. Sherman showed the congresswoman some of the machinery used to train HVAC engineers, solar technicians, cybersecurity workers, welders, and FredCAT’s most popular certification program, asphalt technology.

He even gave her a spin in one of the heavy machinery simulators, where Spanberger dug several loads of rock and dirt from a virtual worksite, and then maneuvered the scoop to dump the load in a truck

“Students spend 80 hours on this simulator,” Sherman said, before they’re allowed to put their hands on the real thing.

The simulators run $75,000 to $100,000 each, but in the long run are much cheaper, and safer, to train students on than the real thing, he said.

Sherman, who is the business and career coordinator at Germanna, said since 2016, the school has issued over 11,000 credentials. Last year alone, it awarded 425 to those seeking a CDL license, and another 1,100 in asphalt technology.

A number of those students go on to make six-figure salaries in their fields, he said.

Students come from all walks of life. A recent graduate was a retiree who wanted a second career. He became a heavy-machinery operator at 59.

Most everything on the FredCAT campus is on wheels. That allows the school to pack up the equipment and go where the students are.

As at many schools, however, funding is an issue. In a roundtable meeting with Germanna employees, Spanberger learned about the FastForward program, which uses state dollars to pay two-thirds the cost of select certification programs.

The heavy-machinery program, for example, runs $4,500. With the FastForward program, the state would cover $3,000 of that cost.

For students who can’t afford the one-third remaining, FredCAT tries to secure grants to help the neediest students. But it’s not enough. Employees encouraged Spanberger to open up Pell Grants, which are federal grants that do not have to be repaid, to those seeking credentials like those offered by FredCAT.

It’s an idea Spanberger said she will work to explore.

Recent Posts


Oct 11, 2024
Social Security, Medicare, & Retirement

NEW: Spanberger Pens Op-Ed Urging Colleagues to Vote to Pass Her Bipartisan Bill to Eliminate WEP & GPO

The Bipartisan “Social Security Fairness Act” Would Eliminate Two Provisions of the “Social Security Act” That Unfairly Reduce Benefits for Millions of Americans Who Have Devoted Much of Their Careers to Public Service Thanks to the Congresswoman’s Effort to Force a Vote on the Legislation, the “Social Security Fairness Act” Will Come to the U.S. […]



Oct 10, 2024
Energy & Environment

Spanberger Urges Speaker Johnson to Call U.S. House Back to Capitol Hill to Pass Emergency Appropriations Funding Following Hurricanes Helene & Milton

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger is urging U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to call Members of Congress back to Capitol Hill to pass supplemental appropriations funds to support Virginia’s communities and communities across the Southeastern United State in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. In a letter to Speaker Johnson, Spanberger and […]



Oct 10, 2024
Good Governance

NEW: Spanberger Ranked #1 Most Collaborative Member of Congress from Virginia, #3 in the Country

An “A” Bridge Grade is Given to Members of Congress Who Exemplify Governing Behaviors that Bridge Our Country Rather than Divide It WOODBRIDGE, Va. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger this week was ranked as the most collaborative Member of Congress from Virginia — and the third most collaborative lawmaker on Capitol Hill. Bridge Grades score […]