Three projects receive GO Virginia funding

Gov. Ralph Northam has announced three regional projects that will receive GO Virginia (Growth and Opportunity for Virginia) grants worth more than $4 million.

The grants will promote student entrepreneurship, advance a mega-site in Greensville County and create an apprenticeship program for cybersecurity and IT jobs in Northern Virginia.

The three projects that received grants include:

• $2.2 million for improvements at the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center (MaMaC) Mega-site in Greensville County.The project will advance the 1,600-acre certified mega-site in Greensville County to a Tier 4 mega-site. GO Virginia funds will complete engineering plans to construct the gravity-fed sewer system to the site and to construct the wetlands mitigation bank. Upon completion of these two items, the site would be construction-ready for a prospect within 12 months.

• $1 million for Lighthouse U, a new project by startup accelerator Lighthouse Labs and the da Vinci Center, Virginia Commonwealth University’s student hub for innovation. The project is designed to train and support entrepreneurial college students in Virginia. Beginning this fall, Lighthouse U will hold workshops across Virginia that will offer experiential training that complements an in-classroom curriculum. In October, Lighthouse Labs and the da Vinci center will host the first Virginia Startup Weekend.

• $1 million to expand the previously awarded Tech Talent Pipeline Initiative, which aims to attract and prepare candidates for cybersecurity and IT jobs. This project will develop and implement a new apprenticeship program, matching 400 apprentices to employers as an alternative career pathway to traditional two- or four-year degrees. GO Virginia funds will be used to expand staffing for NOVA Workforce, conduct Tech Talent Pipeline outreach, and develop and implement the apprenticeship curriculum and models.