BRIC partners for free courses to upgrade digital skills; VSAC offers webinar on FAFSA forms
Press release | Oct 06, 2020 | Comments 0
BRIC partners for free digital courses
Springfield’s Black River Innovation Campus has partnered with the Center On Rural Innovation to bring rural residents in Southern Vermont the Future Is Digital Challenge.
It includes free, 40-hour courses and scholarships for 3-month Nanodegrees (project and skills-based credential programs) along three tracks:
- Digital Marketing,
- Business Analytics and
- Front-End Developer Fundamentals.
Anyone in the following counties is welcomed to apply: Rutland, Bennington, Windsor and Windham. Because the program is sponsored by the Center On Rural Innovation and Udacity, the program is free.
Under the programs you will learn:
- DIGITAL MARKETING: How to optimize popular digital advertising platforms using a variety of tools
- BUSINESS ANALYTICS: Foundational data analysis skills, implement data-driven solutions, and create data visualizations
- FRONT-END WEB DEVELOPMENT: How to build HTML, CSS and JavaScript web pages and interact closely with other software developers
Each program track has a corresponding foundational course and a Nanodegree Program. After completing one of Udacity’s foundational courses and passing an assessment, you will qualify to receive a Nanodegree scholarship (valued between $1,200-$1,600). The Nanodegree Programs will build upon skills learned in the foundational courses and empower you to explore a new career.
No experience required—this challenge is for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student, a stay-at-home parent, or looking to start your own business or change careers. Everyone is welcome to take part in this challenge and start learning the skills that will prepare you for the future.
VSAC offers webinar on completing FAFSA forms
It’s financial aid season, which means it’s time to do your FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which opens the doors to a world of financial aid to help you pay for your education and training.
Completing the FAFSA is not hard, and it’ll take you only about 45 minutes. In the next VSAC Shows You How webinar, simulcast to Facebook from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, VSAC outreach counselor Carrie Harlow walks you through how to complete a FAFSA, question by question. If you don’t have your FSA ID before the webcast, take a few minutes to get it here.
And speaking of questions, throughout the live webinar, you’ll have an opportunity to get answers to your specific concerns. Register here. Or watch the recorded video later at your convenience.
The FAFSA is the first step in determining how much federal aid you are eligible to receive. For many Vermonters, 2020 has been a financial fiasco. So, if you plan to get financial help from the college or trade school you want to attend, you need to file a FAFSA. It’s that simple. The FAFSA also unlocks all sorts of other financial aid resources, including the Vermont state grant, institutional aid, need-based scholarships and more.
“The FAFSA is the key, literally the gateway, to all financial aid – federal Pell grants, the Vermont state grant, many scholarships, institutional aid, work-study programs and federal loans,” said Marilyn Cargill, vice president of financial aid services at Vermont Student Assistance Corp.
“If you decide not to fill out the FAFSA, you are very likely going to overpay for your education. Or you may choose not to go, which could be an even bigger, more expensive mistake.”
To find out more about VSAC’s full line-up of virtual resources to help students, and adults returning to school, learn how to get the financial aid they need, go to vsac.org.
Filed Under: Business & Personal Finance • Business in Brief • Education News
