The South Central Workforce Investment Board (SCWIB) has approved the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) as a training provider for the Work Ready Foundations, a new short-term work readiness initiative. With this approval, eligible unemployed clients who enroll in Work Ready Foundations will have their tuition and fees paid for with Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds.

According to Debra Crowder, Executive Director of the SCWIB, “The addition of a short term training program that meets the needs of our local employers will be an asset to local citizens looking for jobs. The Work Ready Foundations initiative will prepare jobseekers to enter the advanced manufacturing career pathway.”

Work Ready Foundations, a new training program developed by the Workforce Services staff at the SVHEC, prepares individuals for success in entry-level advanced manufacturing positions. This short-term training program was developed at the request of local employers and has been endorsed by the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Executive Round Table. Throughout the six to eight week training program, participants will learn technical and soft skills needed to be successful in today’s manufacturing and industrial workplaces.

A natural disaster causes the dead to come back to life as flesh-eating zombies roaming the streets of Halifax County. The remaining humans barricade themselves in an old farmhouse as they fight off hordes of zombies and try to survive the night. This hair-raising vision is what film director and Business of Art & Design graduate Lewis Guthrie has in mind for his remake of the classic horror/sci-fi film Night of the Living Dead. Guthrie is working with his friend and film producer Josh Perkins on the project. This will be the pair’s first full-length film.

“When people think of zombie movies, Night of the Living Dead is one of the first that comes to mind. We want to remake this movie by setting it in modern times and giving it a darker perspective,” Perkins said.  

Guthrie agreed, “Remakes are hit and miss for me. A lot of times people just make a movie and slap the original title on it. But we’re not only updating it, but also really trying to capture the fear people had when they watched the original. Night of the Living Dead is really a social commentary and we want to incorporate that underlying fear people still have today.”

Filming will start at the beginning of June and wrap in early August, with the movie ready for a public showing by Halloween. Guthrie and Perkins are looking for actors, and a casting call is scheduled for Friday, May 17th from 1-5pm at the SVHEC-Innovation Center. They envision most shooting taking place on Friday and Saturday nights at locations in Halifax County.

“We’re looking for people with some acting experience, and we’re hoping people from Little Theatre will be involved. But it’s an open call, and anyone 18 and older who’s interested should come out. If we can’t use you as a main character we can definitely use you as a zombie,” Guthrie stated.

On Monday, May 6th, the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center hosted the final meeting of the Workforce and K-12 Education Subcommittee of Governor McDonnell’s Rural Jobs Council. Committee members heard final presentations and prioritized recommendations for their final report to the Governor.
 
Dr. Nettie Simon-Owens, director of Workforce Services at the SVHEC and committee chairperson, welcomed attendees and called the meeting to order. SVHEC Executive Director Dr. Betty Adams provided greetings, and thanked the governor and lieutenant governor for making rural Virginia a focus of their administration.

Jim Andre, Education Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education, and Kathleen Daly, Instructional Specialist at the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, delivered a presentation on PluggedInVA. PluggedInVA is a career pathways program that prepares adult learners with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in postsecondary education, training, and high-demand, high-wage careers in the 21st century. The program takes cohorts of adult learners through a six-month program that results in a GED and industry credentials.

The leadership of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center is pleased to announce that Ann Switzer has earned the designation Certified Nurse Educator (CNE). Switzer is the Associate Director of the Center of Nursing Excellence (a division of Workforce Services). She earned the CNE designation after meeting strict eligibility criteria and successfully completing a rigorous certification examination developed and administered by the National League for Nursing (NLN).

“The NLN’s Academic Nurse Educator Certification program has conferred new visibility and stature upon the academic nursing community that is long overdue,” said Dr. Beverly Malone, CEO of the NLN. “Through the certification program, we have made clear to the ranks of higher education that the role of nurse educator is an advanced professional practice discipline with a defined practice setting and demonstrable standards of excellence.”