Blue Ridge Community College highlights local partnerships and dual-enrollment opportunities at Waynesboro council meeting

Dr. John Downey, president of Blue Ridge Community College, presented the college’s annual update Monday to the Waynesboro City Council, emphasizing local partnerships and programs designed to boost workforce training and expand access to postsecondary education.

Downey said the college serves a significant share of Waynesboro residents: "Of all the Waynesboro residents who attended college this past fall, 37% of them chose Blue Ridge Community College," he told councilors. He described a new Waysboro outpost at the city innovation hub that allows residents to register for classes and take proctored testing without traveling to the main campus, and he highlighted expanded dual-enrollment options that allow high-school juniors and seniors to earn a full year of transferable credits at no cost under recently enacted state law.

The president also described growth in career-and-technical programs such as aviation maintenance, nursing, and veterinary technology, and previewed a planned career academy to provide marketable skills and direct pathways to local employers. He credited ongoing partnerships with the city’s economic-development office and Wesboro (transcribed variants) Public Schools for enabling dual-enrollment and workforce training opportunities.

Councilors thanked Downey and asked about enrollment trends; he said overall college enrollment is up while transfer-program headcount has declined modestly amid an expected decline in the population of high-school graduates. No council action was required; the presentation was informational and councilors encouraged continued collaboration on workforce and education initiatives.