BIG STONE GAP, VA — June 3, 2025 — An up to $200,000 grant to the Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) Foundation from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) Coalfield Workforce Development and Training Fund to be used for workforce development and training was closed recently.
“The funds will be used to support future training and certification needs for residents in the VCEDA service territory for the next two years to meet the ongoing demand for skilled, trained workers in high-need manufacturing, technology and health care sectors,” said VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “MECC anticipates training 500 or more students in 2025-2026, with existing industries expanding their employment offerings.”
The grant funds will be used for VCEDA region resident scholarships, tuition, training instructional costs, retraining costs and customized workforce training for area businesses. The VCEDA region includes the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell and Wise and the City of Norton, VA.
Mountain Empire Community College is a two-year college with a main campus located at Big Stone Gap in Wise County, VA. Through the years, VCEDA has provided workforce development and training funding assistance several times to the MECC Foundation.
“In total, more than $1.2 million in grants have been approved by VCEDA to the MECC Foundation since an initial $500,000 grant approved in 2018,” Belcher said.
Those amounts include more than $200,000 approved from the VCEDA Renewable Energy Fund in support of renewable energy training in the area. VCEDA has also similarly assisted the Southwest Virginia Community College Educational Foundation several times.
According to the MECC application, since the initial $500,000 VCEDA grant to the MECC Foundation in 2018, approximately 1,313 students have completed 1,426 certifications and training courses to meet workforce needs in the region. Employers who have benefited from this supported training include Scott County Telephone Cooperative, VFP, Komatsu, Ballad Health, Pike Electric and many more, according to the MECC Foundation’s latest application.
MECC’s application noted those employers have created hundreds of jobs in the Southwest Virginia region, building long-term, sustainable employment and a renewed economy for the coalfield region.
“The VCEDA workforce training grant has served as a lifeline for Mountain Empire Community College students who are obtaining nationally recognized credentials and professional licensures in their fields,” said MECC Vice President of Institutional Advancement Amy Greear. “Often, the costs for these certifications are a financial barrier for students. MECC recognizes the value in professional certifications that increase our student’s employability and skills level. We are so appreciative of VCEDA’s support.”
About Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Southwest Virginia’s e-Region: The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the region’s economy and help create jobs, markets Southwest Virginia’s e-Region and its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. VCEDA is a unique economic development organization that manages funds for economic development projects from a percentage of the coal and natural gas severance taxes paid by coal and natural gas companies that operate in the region. Located in southwestern Virginia, the region includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton. www.vceda.us or www.e-Region.org.