June 2023

First Female to Earn 4.0 GPA in Truck Driving Training

Left to Right: Jason Drinkwater, BriAnna Alexanders, Doug Kemerer, Duncan Quicke

SVCC's Truck Driver Training team would like to congratulate BriAnna Alexanders on completing the Truck Driver Training program with a 4.0 GPA.

BriAnna, of Freeman, is the 183rd student to earn this honor and the first female TDT student to do so!

Career Coach Chronicles: Matthew Gullivan

By: Krisha Jones (Career Coach)

"Matthew Gullivan is a senior at Brunswick Academy (BA) in Lawrenceville, Virginia, who stands out because of his exceptional work ethic and academic success. Like most seniors, he is looking forward to graduation and focusing on his post-secondary education and future career. Matthew started taking electricity classes at SVCC this past fall and has already earned his Career Studies Certificate in Industrial Electrical Technology. In addition to attending BA and SVCC, he also works part-time at Lake Gaston Awning. Despite his full schedule, he managed to strike the perfect balance juggling academics and work to become salutatorian of BA’s Class of 2023!

His father owns a remodeling business and is Matthew’s inspiration to obtain his master electrician license. He hopes to start his own business someday. After graduating from BA, Matthew will be attending SVCC starting this summer, pursuing his Industrial Maintenance Technician AAS. He also plans to work at Electrical Modifications while completing his degree. When asked about how SVCC has been instrumental in his career plans, Matthew replied, “SVCC has helped me to better understand my goals and has given me a way to achieve them.” It has been a pleasure working with him as his Career Coach, and I am excited to see him reach his goals!"

MC Dean Partnership

Left to Right: John Farrell ( MC Dean ), Cody Weink-Ullman, James Pharr, Emmanuel Thompson Jr, Zachery Balthis, Shadeequah Simmons, Shaenoia Jeffreys, Matt Grimes ( MC Dean )

June 23 marked the first graduation ceremony in the unique partnership between Southside Virginia Community College and MC Dean. The students pictured have completed four levels of the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) in the electrical craft. The program takes four years of coursework combined with on the job training and the end result is the attainment of an Electrical Journeyman License and the college's Career Study Certificate in Industrial Electricity.

Hosting the ceremony was Chris Foster and Vincent Brown, instructors in the Industrial Technology program. Both instructors are proud of the accomplishments of the students and proud of the partnership between the college and MC Dean. The company is a major employer and offers students jobs with great pay and benefits.

MC Dean guarantees an interview to all SVCC graduates who complete electrical programs. Once hired, MC Dean enrolls the student back in SVCC and withholds a small amount of their salary to pay for the four year apprenticeship program. At the completion of the fourth year, the company returns the withheld funds to the employee and he or she graduates from the college and becomes a Licensed Journeyman Electrician through the Commonwealth of Virginia. An MC Dean representative stated that the completion of this program is a major step towards these employees becoming crew leads, foreman and project managers.

MC Dean has donated time and material to the program and has become a strong partner company within the college's service area. Dr. Chad Patton, Dean of Career and Occupational Technology thanked the instructors for their hard work supporting the students and helping them reach this milestone.



MC Dean also encourages their workers to continue their education by attending SVCC and completing an Associate's Degree. 

VPM Partners with SVCC and Lunenburg Correctional Center to Provide New Datacasting Technology

In a new pilot program, VPM is partnering with Lunenburg Correctional Center and SVCC to deliver educational content to incarcerated individuals through a technology called datacasting.