D.C. Area Colleges Help Retrain Laid-Off Federal Workers

Colleges and universities in and around Washington, D.C., are offering career support services to federal employees whose jobs have been eliminated by the Trump administration.

Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies has launched Georgetown Pathways: Empowering Career Transitions, which offers former federal workers a 30 percent discount on professional certificates in areas including cybersecurity strategy, data science, finance for nonfinancial managers and AI governance and compliance.

“Our goal is to provide practical, high-impact learning experiences that directly translate into career advancement,” said Marcel Bolintiam, associate dean of executive and language education. The certificates are designed to help professionals “bridge the gap between public service and private sector opportunities.”

Northern Virginia Community College introduced the NOVA New Employment, Exploration and Transition (NOVAnext) program last week, offering laid-off federal workers and contractors in the region select classes—including in information technology, human resources, product management and entrepreneurship—for free. Enrollees are also invited to participate in online workshops on interviewing, résumé writing and the role of artificial intelligence in the workplace.

“Many talented Northern Virginians are facing sudden, unexpected changes in their professional lives,” NOVA president Anne Kress said in a press release. “As the community’s college, NOVA is focused on advancing opportunity, and the current moment has made our mission ever more important.”

For those who simply need a break from the stress, George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts is supplying free music, dance and theater tickets to recently laid-off federal employees.