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EDA and Fairmont State outline ARC grant to link schools with employers
Summary
Preston County EDA and Fairmont State staff outlined an ARC-funded regional grant to expand work-based learning, Project Lead The Way, VR job shadows and paid micro-internships. The board asked for quarterly updates and measurable outcomes tied to student placements.
Representatives of the Preston County Economic Development Authority and Fairmont State University briefed the Preston County Board of Education on Nov. 10 about a multi-county ARC Power Grant aimed at strengthening career pathways between K–12 education and local employers.
Robbie, who represents the Preston County EDA, said Preston County was one of the early partners in a regional grant that has moved from feasibility work to implementation. Lloyd Ford, Fairmont State’s work-based learning coordinator, explained the grant’s experiential-learning components: job shadows; site visits; micro-internships (one-week or short-term internships); summer internships; and coordinator roles to facilitate placements.
The presenters emphasized teacher professional development, curriculum mini-grants ($500–$2,000) to fund new classroom programs, and Project Lead The Way adoption to bring pre‑engineering and STEM modules into high schools and middle schools. They described plans to produce VR virtual job-shadow experiences and loan VR headsets to schools so students can sample industry settings that would otherwise be unsafe or impractical to visit.
Board members asked how the district would be expected to participate and what commitments would be required. Robbie said the grant anticipates letters of support and some cost-sharing; the grant will pay the first year of PLTW adoption for five schools and will seek shared responsibility over a three-year rollout. Presenters said they expect to compensate teachers for release time related to grant activities where appropriate.
District staff and the EDA discussed next steps: regular, quarterly updates to the board; a written checklist of specific actions expected of the school system; and a county-level measure for tracking outcomes such as number of internships, job placements and PLTW adoptions. Several board members asked for periodic daytime updates to fit elected officials’ schedules.
The board did not take a formal vote on the presentation; administrators committed to follow up with an itemized action list and to return with measurable outcomes so the board can monitor implementation.
