![]() “Visitors will have the opportunity to talk with the poets after and in-between performances as well as share their written and/or drawn reactions to the powerful performances.” “For this celebration we are thrilled to present artworks by visual artist Michael Spears and three magnificent poets: Micah the Poet, Carlynn Newhouse, and Mysfit,” says Veronica Szalus, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association. SEE: Carlyle Knocks Juneteenth Out of the Park at Its First-Ever Juneteenth Festival, June 2022 Activities are part of the planned offerings for the day that marks the liberation of Black Americans on June 19, 1865. Discover the history of Juneteenth through hands-on activities, art, history, and poetry readings. The event will be held outside in the gardens and on the lawn and tented terrace of the Carlyle House located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria. “It’s really about making this a forefront thought when you’re making your higher-ed decisions,” Labrie said, adding that the idea is that students can think, “‘Here are some in-demand careers that a one-year or two-year certificate program at the community college will really prepare you for.Support Good News Journalism, Subscribe > On the whole, however, Labrie said that this grant is all about building the pipeline for IT and engineering technology, including at the secondary level. “It’s about just building our region’s capacity to produce that talent and it will force us to work a little more with our school districts and with the state and to make sure we can find the coursework that aligns between the two,” Labrie said. He added that this grant may push the conversation forward for the school to work with the state to adjust the curriculum in the next few years, although it would have to be in accordance with NOVA’s existing policies and procedures. The curriculum itself won’t be shaped by the grant, Labrie said, although it could see additional development later. “That’s true of every school division in our area, the IT demand just continues to go up and COVID really exacerbated that.” “Who’s going to help reimage? Who’s going to help secure their networks as they expand? Who’s going to be the frontline support when parents, students, teachers need support with that technology?” Labrie said. Plus, school districts are looking to boost IT staff as they increase the number of devices and tech curriculums. ![]() But with the school’s close proximity to Northern Virginia’s data center hub, Labrie said the school has fielded many asks to help build out the pipeline for technicians. NOVA also relaunched its engineering technology program a few years ago, Labrie said. In 2019, it opened the NOVA Cybersecurity Center and last year saw the creation of an engineering tech fabrication lab on its Manassas campus. This isn’t the first time in recent years that NOVA has made a move to build out its tech programs. “…It’s just a huge need on both fronts from the data center industry, as well as our manufacturers and critical infrastructure.” “As our data grows, so does the need for data centers and the technicians that are going to maintain them,” Labrie said. It comes against the backdrop of growth for digital adoption, in both work and life. NOVA will be collaborating with the Virginia Economic Development Alliance, the Loudoun County Economic Development Authority and school districts in Prince William County and Alexandria City, Labrie told Technical.ly. Through the grant, the school hopes to expand critical infrastructure and engineering technology offerings, said Josh Labrie, director of NOVA’s SySTEMic outreach program. Roughly 15 of those will be in IT, and about five will be in engineering technology. The second part of the funding will be used to credential teachers, such as those currently instructing at the secondary level, in order to add 20 members to NOVA’s faculty. ![]() By the summer of 2024, the pilot program is expected to add 288 graduates and 96 internships. It will also include an outreach program for veterans, plus a bridge program that offers courses for college credit for up to 48 high school students from underrepresented groups annually. The pilot DEEP-IET will be a block-scheduling program that places students in cohorts melding coursework and internship experience. The $1.1 million, which is part of the $11.1 million in overall grants Virginia’s Governor Ralph Northam announced last month, will be invested back into the school’s “information and engineering technologies (IET) programs. With the grant, NOVA will be implementing a Dual Enrollment Expansion Program for Information and Engineering Technology (DEEP-IET) to help build the Northern Virginia workforce. ![]() With a $1.1 million grant courtesy of economic development initiative Go Virginia, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has big plans to embrace the data centers in its backyard - and the career opportunities they offer. ![]()
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