Starting in elementary school, Southwest Virginia’s e-Region students are exposed to technology resources, distance learning, robotics and math competitions, as well as STEM programs – science, technology, engineering, and math. More than 75,000 students are attending college classes within a 125-mile radius.
Students have access to educational programs, training, and the latest technologies in modeling and simulation, robotics, 3D printing, drone technology, cyber security, mechatronics, environmental technologies, and software engineering.
Working cooperatively with the region’s community colleges and universities and the industry-driven Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing (SVAM), companies locating in Southwest Virginia’s e-Region have access to tailored training such as fast-track software programming, IT help desk training, and advanced manufacturing technology.
Mountain Empire and Southwest Virginia community colleges also provide training for Virginia’s Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), an assessment-based credential that gives employers and career seekers a uniform measure of key workplace skills.
Southwest Virginia’s e-Region is also home to three professional schools, the Appalachian School of Law, the Appalachian College of Pharmacy, and Lincoln Memorial University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Additional educational highlights include:
- Customized training in various modes–fast-track, online, hybrid, on-campus, and off-site–are offered by Mountain Empire and Southwest Virginia community colleges.
- The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, the only four-year branch of the University of Virginia, offers the state’s only undergraduate software engineering degree, one of a handful of such programs nationally.
- Bluefield University, a private university located at Bluefield, Virginia which offers more than 40 academic programs in various fields of study.
- Undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia.
- A number of four-year colleges and universities, including Virginia Tech, Radford University, and East Tennessee State University, are within commuting distance.
Bottom photo: Diesel mechanics training at the Southern Gap Transportation & Logistics Center