GO Virginia Region 6 approves $634,938 in funding to Germanna Community College

From Germanna Community College:

The GO Virginia Region 6 Council and GO Virginia State Board reviewed and awarded Germanna Community College $634,938 in GO Virginia funding in support of a $1,032,938 Tech Talent Pipeline Project to train over 200 students entering “high-demand” engineering, information technology, computer science and cyber-related professions in the Fredericksburg region.

GO Virginia is a statewide economic development initiative that provides project-based funds to encourage collaboration among private industry, higher education, and government partners to create higher-paying jobs.

The project creates an engineering pathways program and an IT, computer science, and cyber pathways at Germanna for middle/high school students and adults entering the workforce wishing to pursue occupations in engineering, IT, computer science, or cyber technology.

“This project closes a major training gap for students within our region who want to pursue a career in Engineering or IT but who may not take a traditional path to reach that goal,” said Amy Henecke, Dean of Professional and Technical Studies and Workforce Development, at Germanna.

“Germanna thrives on partnerships with our communities and business and industry partners.  This very significant funding will allow the college to join with others to improve career outcomes for hundreds in our region while serving the key industry sectors of engineering and computer technologies.  We are grateful to the George Washington Regional Commission, Fredericksburg Regional Alliance, the GO Virginia Region 6 Council and GO Virginia State Board for making these outcomes possible, “commented Dr. Janet Gullickson, President, Germanna Community College.

The goal of the two-year project is to create and implement career training pathways for over 200 middle/high school students and new adult entrants to the workforce seeking engineering, information technology, computer science, and cyber-related occupations.

“This project is the largest GO Virginia Region 6 project to date and is a major advancement for our region. Our Council is enthusiastic and eagerly awaits to see this project create new jobs within our region,” said William Beale, Chairman of the Region 6 Council.

About the GO Virginia coalition: The coalition is comprised of business and community leaders, partners in education and government, and interested Virginians from across the Commonwealth who support regional cooperation on private-sector growth, job creation, and career readiness. Learn more atwww.govirginia6.org