ANNANDALE, Va. (WDVM) — Virginia plans on awarding Northern Virginia Community College $1.11 million in a “Go Virginia” grant, which will go towards the Dual Enrollment Expansion Program for Information and Engineering Technology (DEEP-IET).
The NOVA CC website states the program’s goal is to “develop regional workforce capacity in IET [Information and Engineering Technology] careers.”
Josh Labrie, Director of NOVA Systemic, says they have a number of research strategies that they’re implementing.
“The Summer Bridge Program for outreach and exploration. Wraparound services to support students who are currently at NOVA, by helping them prepare for internships, mentoring, connect them with employers, and then a long term strategy to really help credential secondary teachers to earn the graduate credits they need to become credential faculties so we can drive some of this education into the secondary level,” said Labrie.
NOVA will partner with the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance (NOVA EDA), the Loudoun County Economic Development Authority (LCEDA) and school districts locally to better Northern Virginia’s regional production of information and engineering technology talent.
Here’s further information from the website:
The DEEP-IET pilot program is structured as a block-scheduling model that combines class time, wrap-around services for students and valuable internships offering hands-on experience and mentorship from experts in the field. Furthermore, this model will help ensure regional capacity-building for IET by developing the region’s secondary school teachers into credentialed adjunct faculty members who can provide dual enrollment opportunities at regional high schools. It is expected the DEEP-IET program will create 288 additional graduates and 96 new internships and expand the number of certified dual enrollment teachers in the region by summer 2024.
The program roll-out will include:
– two summer bridge programs designed to recruit underrepresented students into NOVA’s IET division, serving a total of 48 students per year. Bridge programs provide college credit for graduating high school students and will help orient them to career pathways in IET and student services on campus.
– two summer bridge programs designed to recruit underrepresented students into NOVA’s IET division, serving a total of 48 students per year. Bridge programs provide college credit for graduating high school students and will help orient them to career pathways in IET and student services on campus.
– a structured block-schedule for first semester IET students in cybersecurity, cloud computing or engineering technology. Block-scheduling places students in groups, or cohorts, during their first year with the same sequence and schedule of classes. Up to 48 students will be placed in cohorts each year, which will allow mentoring and advising to dovetail seamlessly with coursework, increasing student access to these services and ultimately student and graduate success.
– an internship and career readiness program for IET students between their first and second year of coursework in collaboration with local employers. These internships will also work to further NOVA’s goal of integrating academic coursework and work experience.
– a credentialing program to prepare regional high school teachers for teaching credit-bearing dual enrollment courses in information and engineering technology. Increasing the pool of credentialed dual enrollment instructors will strengthen regional capacity for introductory education in these fields beginning in high school.
– a veteran’s outreach program to transition NOVA veterans and military-connected students to IET programs. NOVA currently enrolls 734 military-connected students as General Studies majors. This program will coordinate veteran career workshops showcasing IET educational pathways and careers, serving the region and the nation.
From the NOVA website.
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