Virginia’s community colleges, including Rappahannock Community College, are gearing up to train more workers to help rebuild Virginia’s infrastructure.

The Virginia Infrastructure Academy announced it “will coordinate, scale up, and replicate infrastructure-related community college programs.”

The VIA initiative, with startup funding from the Lumina Foundation, will be used to promote and deliver training at RCC in solar, welding and broadband, which are a few of the initiatives outlined in Congress’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

RCC provides short-term training and credentialing options for today’s workforce and is exploring future training programs.

RCC’s partnership with SHINE (Solar Hands-on Instructional Network of Excellence) brings Solar 101 to campus as a two-day, immersive and hands-on training to work as a solar installation technician. A similar partnership with Open Broadband offers training to become an internet installation technician. RCC continues to offer welding courses at several RCC sites.

Individuals choosing to pursue training in a high-demand infrastructure field may find them to be among the most affordable options. FastForward, G3, VIA and other financial aid sources may allow students to participate in these programs for little or no out-of-pocket expenses that could cover tuition as well as required safety materials.

For more information about RCC programs and courses, call 804-333-6730, visit rappahannock.edu or email advisor@rappahannock.edu.