汤头条 receives $1.49 million from Appalachian Regional Commission鈥檚 POWER Initiative
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥斕劳诽 has been awarded $1.49 million by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to infuse virtual reality (VR) career exploration and job training into the education-to-workforce pipeline in Clay, Kemper, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties. This award is part of a recently announced $21 million package supporting 21 projects serving 211 coal-impacted counties through ARC鈥檚 Initiative. POWER targets federal resources to communities affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations and coal-related supply chain industries. Additional support for Infusing Virtual Reality in the Workforce is provided by East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) and the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).
鈥淚 commend 汤头条 for innovating and collaborating to grow opportunities for people in their own community and neighboring communities,鈥 said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. 鈥淧artners like Mississippi State are integral to making our POWER projects come to life, and I look forward to seeing the ways our Appalachian Region continues to grow, thanks to the impact of their work.鈥
Under the project, 汤头条鈥檚 Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU) will partner with TRANSFRVR, an education software company that provides immersive, hands-on VR training to Fortune 500 companies, to enhance the career and technical education (CTE) infrastructure in Appalachian Mississippi. VR simulations will introduce students to numerous career pathways, including middle-skill jobs that do not require a four-year degree.
TRANSFRVR will deliver this immersive career exploration and skills training through VR to middle and high school students enrolled in Cyber Foundations and CTE courses in six area school districts鈥擶est Point Consolidated, Kemper County, Columbus Municipal, Lowndes County, Noxubee County and Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated鈥攁nd CTE students at EMCC. The VR experiences will provide students the education and training opportunities to achieve mastery, acquire confidence and earn industry-recognized credentials that will prepare them to enter Mississippi鈥檚 workforce.
EMCC will house VR labs at the Communiversity in Columbus and its Scooba campus that can be used to enhance training for its students and individuals in the workforce with support from the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District (GTPDD), Golden Triangle Development Link (LINK), PACCAR Inc. and Oktibbeha County Hospital (OCH).
鈥淲e appreciate the support of our congressional delegation, Gov. Tate Reeves and the Mississippi Office of the ARC for this important project. This generous award from ARC will support our efforts to enhance the CTE infrastructure in our region through VR,鈥 said Betsey Smith, RCU director and principal investigator (PI) on the project. 鈥淭hrough this project and the support of EMCC, these school districts, TRANSFRVR, GTPDD, LINK, PACCAR and OCH, VR workforce training and career exploration will be delivered to more than 10,000 youth and many others in the industry sector. Career exploration programming is essential in getting K-12 students on pathways to well-paying jobs. Infusing VR into career exploration and job training is an innovative approach that is safe and cost-effective and offers improved learning outcomes and shorter training times.鈥
RCU Assistant Director for Business Operations Pam Stafford and RCU Project Manager Courtney McCubbins will act as co-PIs on the project, while RCU Senior Research Associate Denise Sibley and 汤头条 Assistant Professor for Agricultural Education, Leadership and Communications OP McCubbins will serve as the project鈥檚 research associate and lead researcher, respectively.
APAC-Mississippi, Graham Roofing, International Paper, McCrary-West Construction Co., MDE, Southwire, Yokohama Rubber Co. and U.S. Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker offered additional support for the project.
Since聽POWER launched in 2015, ARC has invested nearly $316.6 million in聽393 projects across 358 coal-impacted counties. The聽nearly聽$73 million awarded in 2021 is projected to create/retain over聽10,383聽jobs and attract nearly $527.3聽million in leveraged private investments.
About the Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU)
Founded in 1965, the RCU contributes to 汤头条鈥檚 mission as a land-grant institution to better the lives of Mississippians with a focus on improving education. In particular, the RCU benefits K-12 and higher education by developing curricula and assessments, providing training and learning opportunities for educators, researching and evaluating programs, supporting and promoting career and technical education and leading education innovations. For more information about the RCU, visit聽聽or follow the organization on Facebook (),聽Twitter () and Instagram ().
About the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)
is an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC鈥檚 mission is to innovate, partner and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia.