Google announced on Tuesday a $250,000 grant to Virginia’s computer science advocacy and service provider, CodeVA, which will help develop a network of Computer Science Lab Schools, provide computer science professional development opportunities for computer science teachers and expand computer science resources for Virginia’s students and workers looking to re-skill for the knowledge economy.
Google will also partner with the Virginia Community College System’s 23 colleges and five Higher Education Centers to provide a turnkey set of professional certificates to help workers and learners gain the most in-demand skills and competencies.
“Google’s investment and partnership announcement is a timely and exciting development for the Commonwealth. Code with Google and CodeVA will prepare the next generation of Virginia’s students for careers in computer science,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said. “As governor, I am committed to creating workforce development opportunities, expanding our computer science opportunities for Virginia’s students, and reestablishing high expectations in education. Now the general assembly must act to move forward with lab schools to maximize the potential of the partnerships announced today for the benefit of Virginia’s students.”
“I have lived in Virginia for more than 40 years and am thrilled to see Google continue to grow and invest in the region,” said Vint Cerf, vice president and chief internet evangelist at Google. “We’re committed to playing a positive role in the communities we call home, and our latest partnerships with CodeVA, VCCS, and the Department of Education to help nurture the next generation of tech talent in Virginia are another testament to that commitment.”
With its data centers in Loudoun County and a growing office in Reston, Google has 480+ employees across the Commonwealth working in critical functions such as Google Cloud and the infrastructure that makes Google services like Search fast and reliable for users around the world.
CodeVA will develop a network of Computer Science Lab Schools that will span every region of the Commonwealth. These schools will be based on the successful innovation model at CodeRVA Regional High School in Richmond.
“For the past five years, CodeRVA Regional High School has partnered with 15 school divisions in the Richmond region to provide a rigorous computer science-focused education, and we know every student in the Commonwealth deserves the same opportunities as our students. We look forward to collaborating with CodeVA and educational leaders across Virginia to share how our innovative model can be replicated to provide all students with access to both the academic knowledge and the work-based skills they need to enter the workforce or higher education. There are thousands of unfilled jobs in computer science and IT fields waiting on this next generation of learners and leaders to graduate,” said CodeRVA’s executive director, Kume Goranson.
CodeRVA Regional High School provides an innovative learning environment that uses blended and project-based learning to develop students’ self-management skills while integrating academic content, agile workplace methodologies, and internship experiences that provide a pipeline of critical thinkers prepared to enter college or Richmond’s growing tech sector.
CodeRVA’s design builds on next generation high school models across the nation that rethink the use of time and space, leverage technology to personalize and accelerate learning, and redesign curriculum to align with competency-based progressions. Focused on computer science, the school offers the opportunity to complete high school requirements through a combination of blended (online and face-to-face) learning, integrated coursework, and project-based learning.
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