Go Virginia state board approves eight workforce and cluster projects totaling $6.9 million

The Go Virginia State Board approved eight regionally nominated projects requesting a combined $6,900,000 in state Go Virginia funds, with roughly $3,500,000 in match, during a virtual meeting where the board took roll-call votes. The approvals were taken as a block vote and adopted as recommended by staff.

The approvals followed a presentation from Deputy Director Sarah Dunnigan of the Department of Housing and Community Development, who summarized the review process and said, “DHCD received 8 GoVirginia applications ahead of the application deadline” and explained the four evaluation criteria (economic impact, regional collaboration, project readiness and sustainability). The set of applications emphasized workforce development across life sciences, advanced manufacturing, information and emerging technologies, and energy/transportation/logistics clusters.

Why it matters: The funded projects are intended to expand regional training capacity and business incubation to support immediate employer needs and longer-term industry diversification. Several proposals include equipment purchases, facility expansions or coordinated regional coalitions designed to produce credentials and job placements during the 24-month grant period.

Key approved projects (summary): •…