Senator Warner helped launch a new website today that will help Virginia's students choose a college or find vocational education.  

The Virginia Education Wizard -- found at www.vawizard.org -- is a website created by Virgina's community colleges as "a one-stop online resource that brings together information about careers, curriculum and financial assistance."

The site was inspired by the travel site Expedia.com.  The premise is simple: if there is a one-stop site for you to make travel plans, why can't there be a site to help make career plans as well?

Glenn DuBois, Chancellor of Virginia's Community Colleges said:

"Today, we are used to going online to do everything from shopping to planning our travel -- all at one stop.  We saw an opportunity to bring together information available in different places and present it in a way that asks many different questions of students to help them figure out their educational and career journey."

The Virginia Education Wizard helps prospective students define career goals and find colleges. Current students can choose curriculum options and apply for financial aid.  It also helps experienced workers explore new career options, find worker certification tools, or enroll in community college programs.

Senator Warner, who made record investments in Virginia's public education system as governor, said that the Education Wizard will be a great tool to help students in Virginia figure out what they want to do after they graduate high school and find the resources they need to go to college.  

"This is a great example of how we can use technology to make peoples lives better," he said at the launch event at Northern Virginia Community College's Fairfax Campus.  "I think this will be a model for the rest of the country."

First time visitors are greeted by Ginny, an avatar that guides users through the Education Wizard.  The first step is to take a career assessment, which surveys your interests before recommending career options.  The site also has a college cost calculator and financial aid planner, and even helps students transfer between colleges.  

The site was created with $2.5 million in federal funds. Check out the site at www.vawizard.org.

UPDATE: The folks at VAWizard.org made this video from the launch event that explains their new site: