ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now) -- Northern Virginia Community College is helping federal workers out of a job brush up on their skills and resumes with a new scholarship program. Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) said at least 1,000 people in their area were impacted by the recent layoffs and offering a scholarship to help them find new jobs and careers just made sense. "These were talented individuals. They had a good work ethic, and we wanted to give them something that could help them get into the private sector faster," said Vice President of Workforce Development at NVCC Steve Partridge. It's part of the new employment, exploration, and transition program also known as NOVANext, specifically for unemployed federal workers and contractors. University of Maryland student makes t-shirts to celebrate basketball teams in NCAA tournament The college is offering $1 million in scholarships to at least 1,000 unemployed federal workers to enroll in 1 of 14 courses offered for free, and with the help of the Fast Forward program from the state, they're able to bring those funds to a total of about $3 million. Many classes include IT, human resources, project management, and even entrepreneurship. They're also offering online resume writing and job search techniques. To be eligible, you have to have been laid off on or after Jan. 24, live in Northern Virginia, and fill out an application online. Steve Partridge told DC News Now, they want former federal workers to have all the updated tools they need as they transition, especially those that have not had a new job in a long time. "Change is difficult for everyone, especially when it was unexpected. So I think this gives them a little control, helping to figure out what's next," said Partridge. DC, Virginia health officials warn about potential measles exposure after cases confirmed in Maryland He shared there's a need for more employees across the Commonwealth and they're working directly with those businesses. But, they need those seeking jobs to learn or improve specific skills tailored to those job opportunities. "We're going to be working with business partners as well over the coming weeks to help them get their HR folks in, to maybe meet one-on-one with folks and give them some tips on how they can really put their best foot forward to get these jobs," he added. So far, NVCC had more than 200 applicants and has enough funding to provide scholarships to at least 1,000 eligible applicants. ...read more read less