UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA partners with CodeVA to Strengthen Computer Science Education and Career Exploration in Southwest Virginia’s School Systems

—–ABOUT UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA —- United Way of Southwest Virginia fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in Southwest Virginia because they are the building blocks for a good quality of life.  Through an initiative-based cradle-to-career approach, United Way of Southwest Virginia is creating sustainable solutions to address the challenges facing tomorrow’s workforce. United Way convenes cross-sector partners to make an impact on the most complex problems in our region. Through collaboration with government, business, nonprofit and individuals, United Way innovates for positive, lasting social change.  With a footprint that covers nearly 20% of the state of Virginia, United Way of Southwest Virginia programs and initiatives serve the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe, and the cities of Bristol, Galax, Norton, and Radford.  For more information about United Way of Southwest Virginia, visit www.UnitedWaySWVA.org.

—–ABOUT SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA HIGHER EDUCATION CENTER —- The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center located in Abingdon, Virginia, is the first multi-college and university institution of higher education in the Commonwealth.  Established as a State Agency in 1991, the Higher Education Center partners with public and private colleges, universities, and other organizations to provide degree programs, certificates, and professional development courses. The Center became the Superintendent Region Seven CodeVA training center in 2018 and since then has provided STEM opportunities to over 2,000 K12 students and professional development for 115 teachers.  For more information about the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, visit https://www.swcenter.edu/

—-ABOUT CodeVA — CodeVA is an educational non-profit created to promote computer science all across Virginia. CodeVA was founded with the principle that anyone can code, and that every Virginia child has a fundamental right to computer science literacy. Since 2014, CodeVA has taken great strides in making computer science a priority for Virginia. In 2016, Virginia became the first state in the nation to pass sweeping computer science education reform. This law mandates that every Virginia child will receive access to essential computer science literacy – to include coding – from kindergarten through graduation. CodeVA seeks to build a strong, vibrant 21st century Virginia workforce by providing access to computer science education for every child. For more information about CodeVa, visit www.codeva.org.