Prince George technical center seeks to grow enrollment, submits $600,000 grant for engineering program

Prince George County Public Schools officials told the school board on Jan. 13 that Rewani Technical Center is trying to boost enrollment and expand career-technical pathways, and that the center submitted a $600,000 Go Virginia grant to stand up engineering and manufacturing programming.

Paul Lathrop, principal at Rewani Technical Center, said current enrollment is 254 students with capacity for 360; 103 of those students are from Prince George, compared with a Prince George capacity of 144. He said the center has focused on three CTE pillars — high-quality instruction leading to industry credentials, career-technical student organizations, and work-based learning — and that year-to-date discipline incidents at the center have fallen “by about 50%” after instructional and engagement changes.

Lathrop described growth in extracurricular and credential activity: 219 members in SkillsUSA, 35 in HOSA and six members in the National Technical Honor Society, all cited as evidence of increasing student engagement that helps Rewani qualify for Perkins funding. He said the center aims to expand work-based learning to 2,000 experiences this year and to increase dual-enrollment opportunities with Brightpoint Community College.

Lathrop also said the division submitted a $600,000 grant application to Go Virginia to create an engineering and manufacturing technology program with dual-enrollment potential. “Tomorrow we are submitting a $600,000 grant for Go Virginia to stand up an engineering and manufacturing technology program,” he told the board. He said the program could lead to dual-enrollment credits and a multi-year return on investment.

The presentation included short-term recruitment and program strategies: adding honors-level sections so CTE students can earn weighted credit; creating mixed-level classes to allow year‑2 intensive options; and increasing industry partnerships such as mock interviews, a career fair and a trades interview day to place students into employment or internships. Lathrop closed by inviting board members and the public to upcoming Rewani events including a mock interview on Jan. 16 and a career fair on Feb. 12.

Board members praised Rewani’s work and encouraged efforts to fill seats, add programs such as plumbing or HVAC if staffing permits, and to use the grant request to leverage future opportunities for Prince George students.