On May 18, the GO Virginia Region 8 Executive Committee approved two projects, Startup Shenandoah Valley and Back to Work. The two projects have been forwarded to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for further review and consideration by the State GO Virginia Board during its June 23 meeting.
Startup Shenandoah Valley is focused on growing and supporting entrepreneurs within the Shenandoah Valley. Led by the Staunton Creative Community Fund (SCCF), the program aims to provide customized virtual accelerator training to entrepreneurs, build out workspaces throughout the region, and provide key personnel to support the network and programming. SCCF is partnering with the City of Staunton, City of Waynesboro, and Warren County EDA on this program.
The second project, Back to Work, is an initiative proposed by Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) and supported by the localities within LFCC’s service area. The program intends to offer workers, particularly those recently unemployed, training in higher-demand and higher-paying jobs than they previously held. This includes IT, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and construction sectors which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
GO Virginia supports programs to create high-paying jobs through incentivized collaboration between business, education, and government to diversify and strengthen the economy in every region of the Commonwealth. The program is administered through DHCD. The CSPDC serves as one of the support organizations for the GO Virginia Region 8 Council.