$ 3 Million Grant Awarded to Enhance Broadband Access in Upshur , Barbour and Randolph Counties
The federal government has granted $ 3 million to the Central West Virginia Development Association to develop a fixed wireless broadband network within Upshur , Barbour and Randolph counties . This award represents the largest geographic footprint of the funding program and serves more people than any other recipient . The $ 3 million from USDA Community Connect will be paired with $ 450,000 in local funds .
“ This grant exemplifies the hard work and collaboration of an area that understands economic development will be enhanced by broadband access and the ability to work hand in hand across borders ,” says Upshur County Development Authority Director Rob Hinton .
The coverage area will serve 950 square miles and bring affordable broadband access to almost 9,200 residents and more than 120 businesses within the area . The project , which will include construction of 26 new towers , will also benefit schools , libraries and fire departments within the region and is expected to take approximately two years to complete .
National Entrepreneurship Forum Coming to Charleston in November
The National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Education will host the EntreEd Summit & Forum on November 3-5 , 2017 . This event will bring together business and education leaders and the local community in a collaborative effort to increase entrepreneurial education nationwide .
The forum ’ s theme —“ What ’ s your big idea ?”— is designed to get educators thinking about what is needed in their classrooms and how they can improve entrepreneurship education at their school or organization . Teams will have the opportunity to pitch this idea to bring their project to life after two days of hands-on learning , networking and brainstorming sessions facilitated by expert teachers and successful entrepreneurs .
“ Both the summit and the forum will help attendees understand how system-wide K-12 entrepreneurship education can be successfully implemented ,” says Dr . Gene Coulson , EntreEd ’ s executive director . “ We look forward to seeing what a collaborative group of educators can create .”
IBM Expands New Collar Tech Career Training Opportunities for West Virginia and Appalachian Region Veterans
Building on IBM ’ s commitment to hire 2,000 veterans in the U . S . over the next four years , leaders from IBM , the West Virginia Army National Guard and Corporate America Supports You ( CASY ) recently joined forces at Camp Dawson , a major National Guard training facility in West Virginia , to offer career training opportunities .
This joint effort is part of a free nationwide training initiative that will certify veterans in the use of IBM software widely used by law enforcement , cybersecurity and national security agencies . Commercial banking and insurance companies also use this software to investigate fraud or other criminal activity . CASY is a national nonprofit that specializes in job placement for veterans .
WWW . WVEXECUTIVE . COM SUMMER 2017
89