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ABINGDON, Va.— Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia officials presented a $1 million check to Virginia Highlands Community College Friday to support construction of its advanced technology and workforce development center.
The 20,000-square-foot center, which is under construction on the campus behind the Southwest Virginia Higher Education center, is designed to house expanded versions of the school’s existing welding and diesel mechanics programs plus its workforce development efforts.
“The Wellspring Foundation feels very strongly that part of helping to assure the well-being of our community is economic strength,” CEO Sean McMurray said after the presentation. “The programs that are going to be housed in this building have — for a long time — produced a really meaningful element of the workforce.
“They train people for good jobs that are much needed in our community — especially among manufacturers. This provides them the opportunity to build on that success and expand their program and we think that’s very promising,” McMurray said.
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The award comes on the heels of a recent $4 million Wellspring Foundation gift to the United Way of Southwest Virginia’s new regional workforce development and childcare facility near Interstate 81’s Exit 17 in Abingdon.
“Our board members live in this area and are very committed to the well-being of the area,” McMurray said. “They are committed to doing the right thing with these funds and making sure we’re investing in meaningful, long-term impact is what they’re really looking for. They see a lot of value in this project.”
While substantial, the $1 million grant doesn’t assure completion of the building.
The estimated cost of the building fully equipped is about $8.5 million and Friday’s donation brings the total raised to $6.02 million, leaving about a $2.47 million funding gap.
The Virginia Highlands foundation recently launched its Close the Gap Campaign to complete the final phase of fund raising.
“We see this as a big boost that draws the community in to help us complete the investment,” VHCC President Adam Hutchison said. “The difference it will make for students and the industries we serve will be remarkable. It grows the diesel program in both square footage and technology as we’re currently housed in the old bus barn for Washington County schools.”
Nearly half of the structure is designed for diesel education, including high-door garage bays, and will allow for greater access. Another large segment of the structure will increase the space for the welding program by about 30%.
“We’ve got technology, we’re ready to move into the building as soon as it’s done,” Hutchison said.
Among those attending the ceremony were officials from Wolf Hills Fabricators, an Abingdon-based firm that does large scale, custom fabrication including building flood gates, locomotives and box girders.
“We look to see if the student has gone through a welding program,” HR Director Laci Brickey said. “We work closely with the instructor so he knows the exact type of welding we’re looking for. It’s been successful. We’ve hired many students out of this program. And we’re looking for students who are certified.”
A crew from BurWil Construction recently resumed work on the structure.
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