Nearly $1 million in state funds was awarded this week to projects aimed at growing the regional economy and helping it recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
GO Virginia grants awarded to Region 2 projects
The GO Virginia state board on Tuesday approved three funding requests from the initiative’s Region 2 Council, which represents a broad swath of Virginia that stretches from the Lynchburg area to the New River Valley and north to the Alleghany Highlands.
A workforce development program to be implemented by the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council received $290,000.
With another $162,000 in matching funds, the council will create 57 internships for software development students at regional universities, who will be placed at small technology companies that lack the resources to manage internship programs.
Aimed at keeping local talent in the emerging technology and IT industries, the program addresses one of the priorities established by the Region 2 council.
A second project, which will assemble a team to help businesses in the New River Valley that have had someone test positive for COVID-19 at their workplace, received $250,000.
The New River Valley Regional Commission applied for the funding, which will be used to continue a startup phase that won a $100,000 GO Virginia grant earlier this year.
To learn more, check out the whole article below.