(Richmond) – Imagine if a child who was allergic to animals could finally have a puppy because he took a pill that eliminated his allergies.  What if your favorite ball cap could capture enough of the sun’s energy, through embedded solar cells, to power-up your cell phone?

 

Those are the possibilities that Luna nanoWorks in Danville are trying to turn into realities through their work in nanotechnology.  But they don’t have enough technicians to keep up with the increasing demanding for their work.  To remedy that, they are teaming up with workforce development leaders at Danville Community College to develop a specialized nanotechnology curriculum to train the 54 people they are seeking. 

 

This and other innovative, fast solutions to workforce needs around Virginia will be on display at the Institute of Excellence Showcase on Thursday, July 26, 2007 from 10:45am to 2:00pm at the Central Virginia Community College Bedford Center, Bedford, VA.  

 

Media representatives are invited to see how Virginia’s Community Colleges are developing training programs to meet current, high-demand, high-growth workforce needs of the Commonwealth. 

 

From environmentally-sensitive energy production, to information technology to medical services, projects from a number of industries will be on display at the showcase.  The efforts are funded by the VCCS, business and industry and other community partners.  Business leaders, economic development leaders and community college officials will be in attendance. 

 

This year’s event will feature an exiting and dynamic keynote speaker:  Hugh Gouldthorpe, Senior Vice President of Quality and Communications at Owens and Minor, the nation’s largest supplier of branded medical and surgical supplies.  Hugh is the author of I’ve Always Looked Up to Giraffes and How To Make a Giraffe Smile, books that focus on leaders and organizations.  As a member of the advisory boards for the Longwood University School of Business, VCU School of Pharmacy and as a member emeritus of UVA School of Nursing Advisory Board, Mr. Gouldthorpe understands the powerful partnerships that can be built where higher education institutions and private businesses meet. 

 

For more information, contact Mindy C. Fast (mfast@vccs.edu or 804-819-4985), Regional Business and Industry Coordinator at the Systems Office for Virginia’s Community Colleges.

 

About Virginia’s Community Colleges:  Created more than 40 years ago, the VCCS is comprised of 23 community colleges located on 40 campuses across the commonwealth. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than a quarter-million credit students each year. For more information, please visit myfuture.vccs.edu.

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