Absolutely fantastic course. My wife and I took the 2-day weekend course introduction to welding. I…read morewanted to get educated on the safety aspects of welding as well as the basics of the four types of welding that were taught. I had no welding experience prior to going, nor did my wife. At the end of the weekend. I felt extremely confident in both the safety aspects and in doing proper welds. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and as much as I hate to admit it, my wife's welds were better than mine. I highly recommend this course to anybody who's interested in welding as a hobby or welding for basic repairs. Fisher is an incredible wealth of knowledge, we were amazed at his depth of knowledge on the various aspects of welding. If you've ever been curious in learning how to weld, I would say that this is a small price to pay for an incredible amount of learning. I give Fisher six out of five stars!!!!!

If your looking to learn the fundamentals of the four types of welding, look no farther. As a…read morefellow who has lived in NOVA for the past 23 years and could never find that right place to go learn - it finally happened. I'm just lucky now to live 5 minutes away. Steve (the owner), Matt (the main hand), and the team did a wonderful job over the two day weekend class they offered. You can chose to learn whatever type of welding you want. My son and I chose Stick welding for its practical, around the house purposes. It's tougher than it looks. Steve has been welding for 50+ years. He has the hands of a welding god. I will admit that even though my son had previous experience in welding, I did show progressive improvement over the two days. And trust me, two days is good enough. Your hands hurt at the end of day two. The class is self paced. They show you a technique and then you work on that technique for the remaining 3 hour session. There are 4, three hour sessions. There is no beat down. It's all constructive feedback and they understand that it takes time. We had about 12 students in the class that were from NC, WV, & eastern Prince William County and a few locals including us. Some students chose the class where you get a feel for all four types of welding's. My son and I chose only Stick Welding and did only that. I shared some closing thoughts and recommendations to work in to the next class, which they immediately addressed. My son and I feel that even though the class is over, we could probably pop in any day and ask for help or guidance and these folks would help. That's how it is in Central VA. Good people. Steve and team, well done. Keep up the good work. I hope to come up with a reason to visit.

Last year I took the "Tile, Grout, and Thinset" class with the DIY Academy. It was a fantastic…read moreexperience and it gave me the confidence to fix up one of the smaller bathrooms at my house. With my master bathroom repair-and-renovation looming, I wanted to expand my knowledge base more, and Rich and the DIY Academy were once again there to help. Instead of a class, I participated in the volunteering arm of the program and assisted in the demolition and subfloor preparation of an actual master bathroom. It was a whole day of cutting, grinding, smashing, and trashing, but it certainly affirmed the old maxim, "The best way to learn is to do." A lot of times it seems educators in any field see fit to show and tell, but not so here. Rich was always there to supervise and provide support, but it was apparent that he was dedicated to having the student learn by action and not by observation. His methods provided a great blend of experience-based learning and direct instruction. Being able to take part in each process necessary to strip a room down to its bones eliminated two obstacles that scare off most homeowners from attempting to do their own renovation work. First, it removed the mystery of a home's construction: every layer of material holding the old bathroom together could be seen and held. Second, it provided some level of expectation: now having seen how the various surfaces and materials are held together, I know my own bathroom's construction will not be terribly far off. This all works together to establish a sort of baseline muscle memory for the work to be done in the future. This was another great experience with DIY Academy and I hope more such opportunities arise in the future!

From the owner: DIY Academy is a workshop for the novice DIYer who is interested in learning hands-on skills for…read morevarious home improvement projects and repairs to your increase knowledge base when working with contractors/handymen or to be able to complete a project on your own. We will have workshops that cover various topics such as kitchen backsplash installation, minor plumbing (replacing a toilet, changing out sink hardware, installing a garbage disposal), minor drywall repair, tile floor installation, remodeling a shower, demo of tile / shower, tile installation materials, caulking, grout repair and more! This is an excellent opportunity to learn a new skill from licensed and trained professionals who are in the trades and meet new people and work in a group setting to learn these skills.

Blacksmithing is part chemistry, part physics, part geometry and part magic. You take lumps of…read moreblack metal and heat and hammer and twist and chisel them and end up with an axe or a coat rack or candlestick. How cool is that? I've taken two classes at the Virginia Institute of Blacksmithing (VIB) and enjoyed them immensely. I assume if you're reading this review, you might be considering a class. So my short recommendation is... do it! But if you want more detail, here it is. First, my instructor for the classes was one of the owners, Dale. He's knowledgeable and obviously highly skilled as a blacksmith. But more than that, he's a patient and enjoyable instructor. He puts a LOT of information into the lessons which usually consist of him demonstrating and explaining a set of steps followed by the students trying things on their own. Dale is always available for questions and advice, but he definitely let's you get your feet wet (or "hands black" is probably the better phrase). One thing I appreciated is that when things go wrong, he comes up with a solution to keep things moving. Dale is good at breaking down rather complex projects into manageable phases. And, his puns and sense of humor keep things light... with only a few groaners. Next, the setup at VIB is conducive to hands-on learning. Dale has his "instructor's forge" setup front where he can demo and explain the steps. Then there are 12 student forges setup up in sets of 2 with some shared equipment and workspace. But each student has a forge, anvil and access to a vice and other tools. There is a good emphasis on safety, which is critical if you're working with temperatures that range into the 1000s of degrees and are swinging 3.5-pound hammers. The descriptions of the classes are pretty much spot on although both times I was surprised by the complexity of the process and the (relative) success of my end projects. I'm 65 years old and fairly handy, but I was challenged (in a good way) most of the time to do the heat or bend or twist or whatever. In each class there have been younger students (early teens) who seemed to take to the "retro" aspect blacksmithing with great enthusiasm. The only time you see a phone is if someone is taking a photo. For the two days, if folks are in the class, they are working at the forge or working on their project or comparing notes with a forge neighbor. In my opinion, the VIB classes are definitely worth the price. It's made holidays and birthdays easy. I just tell my wife I want a VIB class. As a side note, I took both classes with my son-in-law and while it's not a team sport, it was a fun bonding activity... and not without a competitive component since, of course, we both want to have the best end product(s). Oh... and the class is in Waynesboro and there are a LOT of good, inexpensive motels in the area and nearby Staunton is a cool town in its own right. There's camping nearby too. I'll repeat my initial recommendation. Do It! Just not EVERYONE. Leave some space for me and my son-in-law.

From the owner: A great blacksmithing school with weekend workshops.read more

I went here this year for Nail technician . Let me say first and foremost my teacher Mrs.Jordan was…read moregreat . She was very empowering and informative . I was blessed to have her as a teacher however ! We went through a lot of book work and very minimal hands on Work . Was told we would work on acrylic and nail designs art etc but it was very brief maybe a few days out of the two months . Did a spa clinic for about two weeks and did manicures gel manicures and pedicures by appointments . The staff there were very rude at times. Our teacher had missed a day during our clinic and our class was not accommodated . We had a snow day and was pushed over two days for our end date. We literally studied for our state board on the last day of class and was rushed due to time and days . I recommend the teacher but the school is unorganized . We were told we didn't have to pay for the state board test prior to signing up and also told again by an actually counsolor. But once we brought it to their attention they changed it and said we had to pay for the test ourselves .

I went here late 2012 for the LPN program and it was the worst thing I ever experienced. I had to…read moredrop out because I had an instructor tell me I wouldn't be a good nurse during clinicals.

BE CAREFUL- this is not continuing education but continuing Divesity, Equity and Inclusion…read moreTraining. I gained very little from this "course" and was not better prepared to continue my education in Insurance because it focused on Social Statements and putting male and female in quotes in the course work. I am trying to figure out why anyone thought these were appropriate test questions for a Life and Health Continuing Education Certificate? Here are just 2 sample questions from the Life and Health Test that are just bizarre and I am amazed someone thinks this is an excellent way to keep life and health agents up to speed on life and health laws, regulations and ethical selling. Its obviously someone's personal opinion that they feel obligated to insert in CE Course: 1.) What Ethicist believes that moral reasoning and ethical theories are presented as gender neutral, when they actually arise from MEN'S Morality arising from MEN'S Experience? Really? This was the very first question! Tell me, how does this help us with our CE for life and health insurance products and how do Men feel about this? This is not ethics, this is clearly a social statement adding to the negative discourse and decisiveness of our country. Question #2: Ethics of Care are helped by each of the following conditions, Except: a. moving beyond stereotypical "Masculine or "feminine" attitudes and behaviors b. emphasizing cooperation, consensus and community c. educating people about ethics of care and talking about it. d. ignoring it as strictly feminist What? What test am I taking? Why are Masculine and feminine in quotes? Feminist being injected into a life and health CE Course- Really? This stuff is dividing the country and 50% of your clients will absolutely love this addition to the course (so hooray for them), but the other 50% will say, "I don't see any value at all in having this injected into an insurance CE Course." I used Cape for years and was satisfied, but I won't use them again because I want to have useful information in my course not social opinions firing the flames of unrest and negativity - this is not the place for that. Find another avenue to express those opinions and keep this as a business tool. Was it worth it do inject this stuff in there? This decade old client is officially out!

I am being pushed back into the pasture after 20 years with a company in the logistics world. I am…read morelocated in a regional foot print that will not afford me the opportunity to cover my previous income. I looked at a new field that required me to take the VA Life & Annuities and Health exam. I found a great organization in Cape Education. The sign up was fast and easy. the shipment of all my course material was just as prompt and professional as one could hope. The instructor had experience and knowledge to pass on in an effective manner. They took me in 3 days with ZERO knowledge and prepared me with direct knowledge and applicable test taking skills to pass the Virginia state exam first try!

This review is for the Operations only (I've watched YouTubes and have attended events in the past…read morethat were super cool, and I'm a fan of the maker community). Jennyfer was very rude, condescending, and unwelcoming to me. I have never felt so uncomfortable with anyone on the phone before. I emailed with an inquiry on availability for rental space and provided some ideas for volunteering that I could provide to the community. Not only did she imply that I had written "a lot of info to share via email," but then proceeded to ask me to what I wanted on the phone as if I was in an interrogation. She said, "Oh, I am sorry, I don't think you know who I am. Let me introduce myself....I manage Nova Labs and the Innovation Center... " This is unwarranted display of power and "gatekeeping" for a non-profit community organization. I had only visited the space several years ago when my friend had his office there. I am not aware of the politics or structure that she was implying about whether or not I was approvable in her eyes in becoming a member and volunteer with Nova Labs as well as whether I am qualified to rent an office space that should only be for"people who make things" not those who work at a desk. I make things using my computer and with my hands. Really disappointed and sad that this all just happened.

I want to like this place so much but I can't under current operations. I quit after two months…read more Too many bad experiences. You can always try a month and see it's for you. I reserved the laser cutter but people would be on it and tell me to take a hike. Several code violations that shutdown most of the back so could not work on some projects. Odd personalities to deal with like at a disfunctional job site. Lots of newbies that I question if they have ever used a hammer or cordless drill. My personality is more organized and process orienteded, read engineering not liberal arts, so this place drove me nuts, BUT they are volunteers so I have to give them some leeway. Pros: Assortment of tools to cover any project. Layout based on type project type. Training sessions. Cons: Training session cost on the high side. This does weed out the not serious people looking for free entertainment. Equipment not available when you arrive. Equipment down or somebody is using it. One hour commute and $5 gas down the toilet. People not cleaning up, leaving tools out, screwing up the adjustment of machines.

Great schooling graduated HVAC from this school Josh is a great instructor there. They also give…read moreyou the tools that you need when starting out

Fortis College was the worst college experience I have ever had. I would not recommend this school…read moreto anyone without doing serious research first. After paying in full, unexpected charges appeared on my account. There were days students showed up and there was no instructor available to teach. Books were not provided in a timely manner, which made it difficult for students to stay on track. The building also had serious concerns, including what appeared to be mold. In my opinion, the leadership and administration were unprofessional, disorganized, and failed to provide the quality education students paid for. Overall, I felt the school lacked structure, accountability, and professionalism. This experience was extremely disappointing, and I strongly encourage anyone considering Fortis College to do their due diligence before enrolling.

In my America 250 series, I learned the Rotunda I visited in August 2019 was built in 1826, the…read more50th anniversary of the US. I thought this was a cool building with a lot of great history, cool views, on a beautiful UVA campus. I highly recommend a visit to the Rotunda.

Repeater... the grounds on the UVA Campus are amazing…read more Walking around the grounds, I was impressed at how clean, how natural, and how tranquil the fields were. I was certainly thinking of hyping this campus to my freshman niece. While I was there for a course I took notice of how folks congregated on the lawn, and the various lawn chairs, but the grounds provided both open and covered areas for study and social gatherings. The Rotunda itself is a beautiful centerpiece surrounded by pillars and paths floored by brick. Gardens everywhere. There's a small statue dedicated to the first president of the United States. It is centrally located, with academic buildings on one side, and mix of commercial buildings (food, snacks, banks, bookstores, UVA gear... ), it's all there. If you're a student you have quick access to everything. It's very convenient. Very impressed.