Kaine discusses education, workforce development in Southwest Virginia

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine discussed the importance of developing a talented and competitive workforce during visits to the Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley (NRV) facility in Dublin and the RCPS+ summer program at Westside Elementary School in Roanoke. In Dublin, Kaine toured the manufacturing facility and held a discussion with Volvo Trucks’ employees about the facility’s energy efficiency accomplishments and answered questions about his first six months in office.

“Volvo Trucks here in the New River Valley is a model for the next generation of American manufacturing,” said Kaine. “The high-quality of the work done here and your focus on sustainability and energy efficiency is extremely impressive. This visit is just another reminder that American manufacturing is alive and well.”

In the afternoon, Kaine traveled to Westside Elementary School in Roanoke to visit RCPS+, a rigorous summer enrichment program for students that enables further development for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Kaine visited three classrooms where he worked on a computer-aided robotics project with second graders, spoke about leadership characteristics with fifth graders who will enter middle school next month, and read a book to first graders as part of the program’s “spider, motion and carnival week.”

“RCPS+ is a bold, innovative program that is making a difference in children’s lives.  We are delighted Senator Kaine heard about RCPS+ and wanted to see what it is all about,” said Roanoke Superintendent Rita Bishop.

Throughout the day, Kaine discussed the importance of developing Virginia’s workforce by improving the Commonwealth’s education system. Kaine is a longtime advocate of STEM education and increased investments in career and workforce training.

“The beauty of the RCPS+ program is that it’s about learning for learning’s sake,” said Kaine. “The RCPS+ program prioritizes STEM education, and it was great to see how teachers are exposing students – as young as first grade – to these subjects in a way that’s applied, where they’re working with their hands and doing fun things. In turn, they’re creating the next generation of scientists and mathematicians.”

Kaine’s stops in Dublin and Roanoke today conclude his four-day tour in Virginia that included stops in Wise, Norton, Lebanon, Floyd and Newport News.