The Southern Go Virginia Region 3 council is pushing a workforce training and capacity building project, entitled GO-TEC, through to be considered by the state GO Virginia board for approval. According to Liz Povar, the Go Virginia interim contract manager, the project was approved by the council at the Jan. 5 meeting that decided on this project following the first round of project solicitations. She said this project was one of five responses.

“This will create a hub and spoke training system that starts in the middle schools and goes up through the community colleges in occupations that are in demand in our region particularly in advanced manufacturing and information technology,” Povar said.

She said all three community colleges — Southside Virginia Community College, Patrick Henry Community College and Danville Community College — along with the three higher education centers — the Institute for Advanced Learning, the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center and the New College Institute — will essentially focus on their strongest curriculum for technical skills training and they will become “what we call the hub.”

“The spokes will be the middle schools and the high schools where the students get preliminary training and exposure to occupations in information technology and advanced manufacturing,” Povar said. “It creates a systemized approach for our current employers and to attract new employers who need these kinds of skills in their places of employment.”

The state board will meet to discuss project approvals from around the state Feb. 13.

The Southern Go Virginia region includes Prince Edward, Lunenburg, Buckingham, Cumberland, Charlotte, Amelia, Patrick, Henry, Pittsylvania, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Brunswick, Nottoway, Martinsville and Danville.