RICHMOND, VA — The Dream It. Do It. Virginia (DIDIVA) network is pleased to recognize the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) as its 2013 Partner of the Year. This honor is the first of its kind and was awarded during the 2nd Annual DIDIVA Symposium held in Charlottesville on October 17. The award was accepted on behalf of SVHEC by Dr. Nettie Simon-Owens, SVHEC Director of Workforce Services.

“Receiving the Partner of the Year Award was quite a nice surprise,” said Dr. Simon-Owens. “We have worked collaboratively with VMA for several years on various initiatives focused on meeting some of the workforce needs of manufacturers. Our relationship and efforts are forward thinking and allow us to maximize the strengths of both organizations to identify innovative and appropriate opportunities to offer employers and other workforce stakeholders.”

Katherine DeRosear, Director of Workforce Development for the Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA) described the partnership, “The Southern Virginia Higher Education Center has been an innovative partner with the Dream It. Do It. Virginia Network and its efforts towards achieving the workforce development goals of the Virginia Manufacturers Association. Dr. Betty Adams [SVHEC Executive Director] and her team quickly move from talk to action when responding to the needs of the region and its manufacturers.”

“The SVHEC team is doing remarkable work by bringing together innovative industry-recognized, competency-based and stackable middle skills credentials, like the Manufacturing Skills Institute’s Manufacturing Technician Level 1 and Manufacturing Specialist (MT1/MS) certifications, to build a world-class manufacturing workforce in the Southern Virginia region,” said Brett Vassey, President & CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association.

For more about SVHEC, visit http://www.svhed.org/.

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