Network2Work @PVCC is a job network that connects job seekers to the skills and resources they need to become valued employees and helps employers find the quality employees they need for their companies. 

What is The Success Rate of This Program?

Over the past two years, 74% of job-seekers found jobs six months after enrolling in Network2Work @PVCC.  Over half of those jobs pay more than $30,000 annually and these job-seekers more than doubled their income, with an average wage gain of 109%. Forty-three percent are single parents. 

Why is Network2Work @PVCC Important?

In our region, 9,413, or 14%, do not make enough money to pay for the essentials of life—food, shelter, clothing, and utilities, and the added costs associated with working childcare and transportation. The goal of Network2Work @PVCC is to help these families become self-sufficient by identifying jobs within their reach and positioning them to secure and excel in those jobs.

What Areas are Served by Network2Work @PVCC?

Network2Work @PVCC serves the college’s entire service region, which includes the city of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson.

How Does the Program Work?

It all starts with the job. Network2Work @PVCC uses a simple, Web-based job ticket that employers complete. Jobs must pay at least $30,000 ($15.00/hour) or more and not require a college degree. Ticket information includes skills and experience needed to perform the job, salary and benefits information, expected hours, etc. Once the ticket is complete, the peer network then goes into the community and selects the right person for the job. Network2Work @PVCC  then connects the person selected to the training and support he or she needs.

How Does Network2Work @PVCC Find the Right People?

Once the employers’ needs are known, Network2Work @PVCC  uses neighborhood-based people, known as Connectors, to identify individuals fit for the job. Neighborhood-based Connectors are individuals who are well connected and well respected in their communities. These are the people who are at the center of social networks that exist in PVCC’s service region—in neighborhoods, schools, places of worship, and immigrant communities. These are the individuals who “know everybody.” More importantly, they are individuals in the community to whom people turn for information and advice.

What Resources Does Network2Work @PVCC Provide for Job Seekers?

Once the Job Seeker Network, via the Connectors identifies a good match for an available job, Network2Work @PVCC  creates a pathway that will provide that individual with the resources he or she needs to secure the job. Resources may include:

• Work skills (e.g., literacy, workplace readiness, or technical)
• Life management (e.g., childcare, transportation, stable shelter, or apparel)
• Health (e.g., physical, mental, or substance abuse recovery)

Once a job-seeker completes the pathway charted for them, a third-party conducts an “exit interview” as a quality assurance measure to make sure the individual has the skills and resources they need in order to excel at the job.