FREDERICKSBURG, VA— In 2000, partners Christine Carroll and Dorie Milford made a business move that would change the landscape of medical education in the Fredericksburg region—they purchased a tiny, unaccredited beauty school named Health and Beauty Academy. At that time, it had just eight students and no nursing classes. These insightful entrepreneurs had big ideas that would keep pace with the explosive population growth.
The owners immediately expanded the class offerings and renamed the school Career Training Solutions (CTS). They quickly turned it into a post-secondary institution that became nationally accredited by the Council on Occupational Education in 2002 and eligible to offer financial aid.
The school’s first Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program, Registered Nursing, was introduced in 2008. The Fredericksburg region was growing at a fast pace and on track to add two new hospitals, along with hundreds of affiliated doctor’s offices. Medical staff shortages had become a concern, and CTS was filling the void with highly trained graduates as quickly as possible. The courses included: nursing, nurse aides, massage therapy, esthetics, nail technician, wax technician, medical office staff, phlebotomy, pharmacy technician, and information technology.
Carroll recalls, “Brand new students were already interviewing for jobs—and getting them—contingent upon graduating a few months later. We were earning a reputation for achieving top results in producing job-ready graduates, and employers loved that our accelerated learning process got them the type of employees who were self-driven and thrived in real-world training scenarios. We haven’t changed that methodology, and enjoy the same type of success and enthusiasm today.”
In 2015, a second AAS degree program, Occupational Therapy Assistant, was added. This was significant because the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia would now regard CTS as a “degree granting” institution. The school had outgrown its moniker and consequently changed its name to Eastern Virginia Career College (EVCC).
EVCC celebrates its 20th year in operation this year. However, the 2020 education marketplace is very different. While publicly-subsidized competitors, out-of-state online colleges, and longtime private colleges have closed suddenly, EVCC appears to have the right formula for success as evidenced by the many thousands of gainfully employed graduates. From enrollment to graduation, EVCC maintains the distinction of being among the “fastest colleges” in the mid-Atlantic region. With prerequisites, AAS degrees can be completed in just 12 months.