Director of Experiential Learning

Director of Experiential Learning

Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) is a public, open access institution of higher education in the Virginia Community College System whose main campus is located in Charlottesville, Virginia. This is home to the Charlottesville Historic Downtown Mall, The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, and the John Paul Jones Arena (JPJ). As a comprehensive community college, the College provides quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities for the residents of the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. For more information, please visit: pvcc.edu.

PVCC is known throughout the community and the Virginia Community College System for its exceptional faculty and staff, the quality of its programs and services, and the success of its students. PVCC seeks to attract, welcome, and retain individuals who reflect the communities we serve.

Position Title: Director of Experiential Learning

Department: Academic Affairs and Workforce Development

Employment type: Full-time, 12-month administrative faculty position, exempt

Position Purpose: The Director of Experiential Learning (1.0FTE, grant-funded) reports to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Workforce Development and leads the implementation of Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) and Work-Based Learning (WBL) at PVCC. Working collaboratively across the college and with employer partners, the Director advances the college's experiential learning priorities so that students can earn credit for what they already know and gain meaningful, career-connected learning experiences. The Director streamlines policies, processes, and procedures; expands the credits awarded through CPL; builds pathways from workforce training to academic credentials; and increases the number of students who complete work-based learning experiences.

This is a restricted position and is contingent upon continued funding. A restricted appointment is an appointment to a position that is funded (10% or more) by non-State revenues such as gifts, grants, donations, and contracts or other sources of funding which are not continuing in nature. This position is funded by a 5-year grant.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)

• Inventory and conceptualize PVCC's existing prior-learning options to determine what is awardable.
• Establish intake and routing mechanisms for portfolio review, assessment exams, and credential evaluation.
• Manage faculty-evaluation workflows and rubrics.
• Coordinate transcription of awarded credit with the Office of the Registrar.
• Advance CPL policy through curriculum and instruction governance.
• Build faculty capacity to evaluate and award CPL.
• Develop student-facing promotion of CPL pathways in coordination with MarCom, including the development and updating of PVCC's new CPL web page.
• Centralize CPL and make pathways transparent, consistent with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) recommendations.
• Design and conduct adult learner outreach, informational, and advising activities.

Work-Based Learning (WBL)

• Partner with Career Services to serve as the college's combined single point of coordination for work-based learning initiatives.
• Collaborate with Career Services, academic and workforce divisions, and other departments of the College to support the development and strengthening of employer partnerships.
• Collaboratively build out PVCC's Registered Apprenticeship Intermediary function.
• Work alongside Career Services to increase faculty awareness, support development, expansion, and embedding work-based learning experiences into career education programs to improve access for adult learners.
• Co-engage local employers, advisory committees, deans, workforce staff, and Career Services to ensure academic and career pathways directly reflect regional wage data and industry demand.
• Collaboratively scale work-based learning models in target sectors identified in the College's service region.
• Coordinate with Career Services to ensure new partnerships and opportunities are communicated to appropriate students, faculty, and staff.

Workforce-to-Academic Pathways

• Partner with program managers, academic deans, program heads, and faculty to map workforce training programs (including FastForward/G3-aligned credentials) to credit certificates and degrees, identifying course equivalencies and articulated credit.
• Work with workforce development program managers and instructors to align workforce training curricula, learning outcomes, and industry-recognized credentials with credit course competencies so that completers can earn academic credit without repeating content.
• Co-develop stackable credential maps and guided-pathway program maps that show students clear on-ramps from short-term training to career studies certificates, certificates, and associate degrees.
• Coordinate with Student Affairs, advising, and financial aid to build transition supports (advising touchpoints, application and enrollment steps, financial aid guidance) for workforce completers entering credit programs.
• Engage employers and advisory committees with deans and workforce staff to ensure pathways reflect regional labor-market demand and wage data.
• Track transitions from workforce training to credit enrollment and completion, ensure student award of appropriate CPL credit, and share results with Academic Affairs and Workforce Development leadership to guide program improvement.

Program Leadership, Data, and Compliance

• Develop and maintain policies, procedures, handbooks, and agreements (e.g., internship, apprenticeship, and CPL documentation) in alignment with VCCS policy, the Commission on Colleges and Universities standards, and the VCCS WTS (Salesforce) System.
• Collaborating with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research to establish internal metrics and reporting on CPL awards, WBL participation, apprenticeship enrollment, and pathway outcomes, disaggregated to identify equity gaps. Aligning work with VCCS reporting requirements.
• Collaborating with the Office of Grants and the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Workforce Development to manage grant deliverables, budgets, and reporting for the position's funding sources, and pursue additional external funding to sustain experiential learning initiatives.
• Monitor risk management and compliance for work-based learning placements, including affiliation agreements, liability, and student eligibility requirements.
• Represent PVCC in VCCS, state, and regional workforce and experiential learning networks, and stay current on national best practices.
• Provide professional development for faculty and staff on experiential learning, CPL assessment, and embedding work-based learning into courses.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Curriculum and program development, including program mapping and stackable / guided-pathways design.
• Interpreting and applying labor-market and wage data using tools such as Lightcast, JobsEQ, BLS OEWS, O*NET, and VirginiaLMI.
• Knowledge of community college workforce and credit frameworks (FastForward, G3, Perkins, Credits2Careers).
• Facilitating collaboration across faculty, deans, workforce directors, and administrative units.
• Proficiency with student information systems, degree-planning / advising platforms (e.g., Navigate), catalog systems, and data analysis and reporting.
• Strong project and process management, organization, and written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team within a diverse college community.

Piedmont Community College offers a robust benefits package, including:

• State of Virginia employee benefits
• Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, and vision)
• Virginia Retirement System (VRS) participation
• Generous annual leave and paid holidays
• Professional development opportunities
• Continuous learning programs
• Access to wellness resources and employee assistance programs