Name: Computer Training Workshop – E-Mail Basics for Seniors
Start: 2023-06-27T09:00:00-04:00
End: 2023-06-27T12:00:00-04:00
Location: Institute for Advanced Learning and Research

May 11, 2023

IALR Shares Partnerships, Progress and Transformation in Annual Report

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) has published its 2021-2022 annual report, which highlights innovative and collaborative partnerships across departments that are transforming the economy of Southern Virginia.

“Significant economic growth has resulted due to robust partnerships across the region. IALR stands ready to serve as Virginia’s go-to partner for education and workforce development, business and economic growth, and a globally competitive business ecosystem.” – IALR President Telly Tucker.

View the Full Report

One of the pivotal moments of the report period is the creation and adoption of the new IALR Strategic Plan, which will guide IALR’s work and efforts for the next five years. With input from key stakeholders, the plan establishes strategic goals to outline how IALR can best capitalize on its unique strengths to impact the region.

Just some of the new initiatives and programs launched, announced or expanded during FY 21 and FY 22:

Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM)
Center for Manufacturing Advancement
GO TEC Training Lab at IALR and expansion into other regions of Virginia
GO Virginia Region 3 Bridge to Recovery
Megabytes updated menu and ordering process
Next generation of Work (NOW) teamships
ODU Manufacturing Engineering Technology Major, with IALR as a Satellite Campus
Registered Apprenticeships
Quest Certification of Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill
REACH Partnership and REACH AmeriCorps
Virginia Tech-IALR Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center
Wonder Community of Lifelong Learning

The Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO TEC™) framework is spreading into schools across the Commonwealth. The GO TEC program is just one component of the newly developed and proven EmPOWER system – an employer-driven model to systematically connect students to careers through career awareness, exposure, and engagement and experience. Future and current members of the workforce, as well as businesses, find joint benefits in problem-solving teamships, apprenticeships, externships and internships, mock interview days and more.

While striving to promote a diversified economy by serving a variety of industries, much of IALR’s impact in 2021-2022 was in the manufacturing sector. Expanding the existing middle-school-through-college workforce development pipelines, the new Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program is a rapid adult-learner model that prepares talent for jobs in the defense industrial base. ATDM launched in 2020 and is already proving successful and showing what modern public-private partnerships should look like. In addition, IALR partnered with the Commonwealth of Virginia and Danville Regional Foundation to construct the Center for Manufacturing Advancement, a new destination for manufacturers ready to optimize and scale and home to the U.S. Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence.

Through the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center, a joint project with Virginia Tech, IALR has established itself as a global leader in the CEA industry. The presence of the innovative research and state-of-the-art equipment are already making an impact on Southern Virginia. Thanks to best-in-class resources, including lab spaces and staff, the Applied Research team provided 30 companies with applied research and testing services like analytical chemistry, polymer testing and more.

In partnership with the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance (SVRA) and many other economic development organizations, IALR is proud to champion the area while working with local, regional and state partners. In FY 21 and 22, the Southern Virginia region saw $498 million in announced capital investment and 1,288 new jobs. IALR contributed to economic success by serving as a temporary home for growing businesses by providing critical testing services and lab space to innovative companies across industries. The Bridge to Recovery Program connected companies with suppliers and helped businesses become more resilient post-pandemic.

The Institute Conference Center hosted a variety of events geared toward the growth of industry sectors and Southern Virginia, including trainings and economic development activities. Numerous companies, including anchor and growing employers held successful job fairs, connecting community members with quality employment. An extensive renovation of the main building and a relaunch of Megabytes, IALR’s on-site café, have allowed the Institute Conference Center to provide even better service for the 20,800 guests who visited.

May 11, 2023

ATDM Instructor and Technician Hiring Fair

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) is actively seeking talented instructors and lab technicians for its Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program and will be hosting a Hiring Fair on Monday, May 15. The nationally recognized training program is on track to produce 800-1,000 qualified candidates to fill critical vacancies in the defense industrial base by 2025. ATDM serves as a national defense imperative supporting the submarine industrial base through workforce development.

Those interested can register online and book a 60-minute appointment from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to interview and tour program facilities. ATDM is hiring experienced professionals in the fields of welding, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, quality control inspection (metrology), and non-destructive testing. Some positions start immediately; others will begin this Fall.

Book a 60-Minute Appointment

Browse Available Positions

May 11, 2023

Instructors and technicians wanted for innovative defense manufacturing program

ATDM job fair offers opportunities to train its next cohort of students.

ATDM’s 16-week, hands-on curriculum rapidly develops skilled workers with industry-recognized credentials for employment in the defense industry. The campus of IALR provides state-of-the-art training labs to accommodate America’s scaling needs for defense manufacturing talent.

Job Fair Details

ATDM Classes

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About IALR

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research serves Virginia as a regional catalyst for economic transformation through applied research, advanced learning, manufacturing advancement, conference center services, and economic development efforts. IALR’s major footprint focuses within Southern Virginia, including the counties of Patrick, Henry, Franklin, Pittsylvania, Halifax, and Mecklenburg along with the cities of Martinsville and Danville. For more information, visit www.ialr.org.

About ATDM

Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing is a prototype training platform for rapidly training skilled workers in key trades such as CNC machining and welding for employment in the defense industry. ATDM was developed as a public-private consortium between the Department of Defense, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), Danville Community College (DCC), Phillips Corporation, and The Spectrum Group in consultation with the defense industry. IALR is leading a multi-year pilot project to test and evaluate ATDM as a training platform for regional training centers supporting the defense industrial base. The pilot project is funded through the National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative which was launched in 2020 by the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program Office (IBAS) in the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Allison H. Moore, Director, PR & Communications

Institute for Advanced Learning and Research

allison.moore@ialr.org | 434.766.6766

May 3, 2023

57 Students Graduate from Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing Program

A group of 50+ ATDM graduates pose for a picture at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research

The 5th cohort of students graduated from the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing Program on May 2.

Local leaders and U.S. Navy representatives gathered to celebrate the 5^th cohort of graduates entering the workforce pipeline for the Department of Defense.

The Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program hosted a completion ceremony on Tuesday, May 2, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of the 57 students in its January cohort, the 5^th cohort in the program’s history.

This 16-week, hands-on curriculum rapidly develops skilled workers with industry-recognized credentials for employment in the defense industry. Such skills include welding, CNC machining, additive manufacturing, quality control inspection (metrology) and, for the first time with this graduating class, non-destructive testing. Graduates of the cohort represent 14 states and earned a collective 304 nationally recognized credentials.

“It is extremely gratifying to see another cohort of students graduating from ATDM with the skills needed to meet the high demand of our submarine industrial base,” said Rear Admiral Scott Pappano, Program Executive Officer, Strategic Submarines, United States Navy. “It is important to realize that we are rebuilding manufacturing and the industrial base, which is vital to our national security. The Navy thanks you for what you are doing.”

Event Photo Gallery

Since ATDM instruction first began in 2021, the 5^th cohort is the first to complete all training on the campus of IALR, a space upfitted to provide a state-of-the-art bridge training solution. Partner Danville Community College (DCC), which previously co-hosted classes on its campus, will continue to provide premier ATDM training curriculum and instruction. The training partners will then locate the program within a planned new ATDM Regional Training Center, to be constructed on IALR’s campus by 2025. This building will house all training under one roof and accommodate America’s scaling needs for defense manufacturing talent. In addition to program lead IALR, as well as curriculum provider DCC, other partners of the Department of Defense program include technology provider Phillips Corporation and strategic consulting partner The SPECTRUM Group.

“We are thrilled to continue to lead this impactful training program that has improved the lives of so many across our nation thanks to these dedicated partnerships,” said Telly Tucker, President of IALR. “ATDM not only helps provide promising men and women with the skill sets for high-quality employment with leading companies, but it also helps ensure the success of our nation’s armed forces with the equipment they need to safely and effectively protect our nation and allies.”

“The ATDM program is unique and unlike any training in the nation,” said Dr. Jerry Wallace, President of DCC. “The students are getting an exclusive learning experience and the faculty have the opportunity to be a part of a nationally recognized program helping to improve our country’s defense.”

Vice Admiral Norb Ryan, USN (Ret.) with The SPECTRUM Group expressed his sincere congratulations to all the ATDM graduates as they get ready to launch their careers helping to build our U.S. Navy’s newest submarines.

“To the entire Danville ATDM Team, a heartfelt Navy ‘Bravo Zulu’ for your awesome leadership and inspiring instructional skills in helping these superb graduates achieve their potential and contribute to our nation’s national defense,” said Vice Admiral Ryan.

Director of Phillips Corporation, Rick Morgan, said the company is extremely pleased with the progress of ATDM’s suite of advanced manufacturing training programs.

“Phillips is very proud of its collaboration overseeing the creation and delivery of additive manufacturing (AM) curriculums in partnership with our technology vendors,” said Morgan. “We believe that ATDM’s AM training program is, and will increasingly be, an essential resource for accelerating the delivery of skilled technicians to U.S. Navy and all other military service branches. Developing training programs focused on the most relevant applications of AM technology will also be a growing essential resource for a U.S. Defense Industrial Base increasingly charged with building robust, dependable, and innovative supply chain options for our military services.”

Enroll in the ATDM Program

About IALR

About ATDM

Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing is a prototype training platform for rapidly training skilled workers in key trades such as CNC machining and welding for employment in the defense industry. ATDM was developed as a public-private consortium between the DoD, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), Danville Community College (DCC), Phillips Corporation, and The Spectrum Group in consultation with the defense industry. IALR is leading a multi-year pilot project to test and evaluate ATDM as a training platform for regional training centers supporting the defense industrial base. The pilot project is funded through the National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative which was launched in 2020 by the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program Office (IBAS) in the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Allison H. Moore, Director, PR & Communications Faith O’Neil, Director, PR & Marketing

Institute for Advanced Learning and Research Danville Community College

allison.moore@ialr.org | 434.766.6766 faith.oneil@danville.edu | 434.797.8450

March 7, 2023

Instructor, Staff Positions Available for Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing Program

The Institute for Advance Learning and Research and Danville Community College are collectively hiring 38 positions for the program.

DANVILLE, Va. (March 7, 2023) – The Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program is hoping to fill 38 positions, including 24 instructors, within the next six months to support the program’s goals of rapidly training adult learners with the skills necessary to enter the defense industrial base. The program, which works to fill high-demand jobs producing parts to repair, upfit, and build submarines for the U.S. Navy, is led by the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) as a public-private consortium with the U.S. Department of Defense, Danville Community College (DCC), Phillips Corporation, and the Spectrum Group in consultation with the defense industry. Full-time and seasonal intern positions are available at IALR as well as DCC.

Over the next year, the ATDM program will be hiring for positions that support recruitment, veteran recruitment and support, housing and community services, employment outreach, and program support. Additionally, IALR will further support the program by adding positions for grants and contracts specialists, curriculum development, training and technology coordination, and communications and marketing. IALR also plans to hire an Afghan Support Specialist to recruit, translate for, and support students within the Afghan population. A detailed list of employment opportunities is available at ATDM.org/join-our-team.

“These positions are an integral part of ATDM’s mission to quickly funnel workers to the defense industrial base with skill sets that position employers to meet the research and manufacturing demands of today’s military,” said Dr. Debra Holley, ATDM Director. “The experience of these newly hired professionals will equip the ATDM program to ramp up significantly in the next year to achieve ambitious goals set for the next two years.”

DCC also has job openings for instructor and technician positions in the fields of additive manufacturing, CNC machining, metrology, nondestructive testing, and welding—the trades promoted through ATDM.

“Danville Community College is proud to partner with the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research to support the continued growth of ATDM,” said Dr. Jerry Wallace, President of Danville Community College. “We are in the process of hiring an additional 14 instructors and technicians over the next 60 days to meet the needs of this exciting program and we anticipate that the number of jobs created through this initiative will only increase in the future.”

ATDM is being scaled as a national defense manufacturing pipeline that, when at full operation in 2024, will provide 800–1,000 qualified candidates to fill critical vacancies across the defense industrial base. Positions are needed to meet the demand, particularly as the program prepares to break ground on a future 100,000-square-foot training facility later this year.

ATDM was created to teach the skills needed for increasing military equipment production. In recent years, other countries have increased military technology production while the U.S. has remained stagnant. Recognizing the need to increase military production, the U.S. government also realized that manufacturing in the U.S. is now a mere 12% of the national workforce sector compared to the start of WWII, when approximately one-third of the U.S. workforce was in manufacturing. ATDM supports U.S. efforts to build a strong arsenal for defense as well as the trained workforce to build that arsenal.

Due to the importance of submarines in military defense, the U.S. Navy is supporting ATDM so students are trained in the skills needed to repair, upfit, and build submarines. These skills are transferable to other defense industry companies, as well. Students earn the skills for great-paying, in-demand defense industry jobs in these skilled trades:

Additive Manufacturing
CNC Machining
Non-destructive Testing
Quality Control Inspection (also known as Metrology)
Welding

Professionals interested in applying for jobs at ATDM can visit ATDM.org/join-our-team to learn more. For an updated list of the open positions at Danville Community College, visit https://jobs.vccs.edu/. For an updated list of open positions at IALR, visit https://www.ialr.org/employment/.

Folks who want to learn more about enrolling in ATDM program classes can go to https://atdm.org/atdm-enrollment-application.

About IALR

About ATDM

Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing is a prototype training platform for rapidly training skilled workers in key trades such as CNC machining and welding for employment in the defense industry. ATDM was developed as a public-private consortium between the DoD, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), Danville Community College (DCC), Phillips Corporation, and The Spectrum Group in consultation with the defense industry. IALR is leading a multi-year pilot project to test and evaluate ATDM as a training platform for regional training centers supporting the defense industrial base. The pilot project is funded through the National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative which was launched in 2020 by the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program Office (IBAS) in the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

MEDIA CONTACT: Rachel Spencer, 540-798-6278, rachel@visitaccess.com.

October 5, 2022

Center for Manufacturing Advancement Opens, Welcoming U.S. Navy as First Project Partner

$28 million center invests in manufacturing technology, industry partnerships to support Virginia’s competitive assets

The Center for Manufacturing Advancement (CMA), a state-funded project located on the campus of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), is open and ready to attract new businesses and jobs to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“As we strive to make Virginia the best place for veterans to live, work and raise a family, I am thrilled to announce the groundbreaking of our new IALR Center for Manufacturing Advancement in Danville,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “This partnership will diversify, transform and grow Southern Virginia’s production capability for the Submarine Industrial Base as well, marking another major win for Virginia’s defense economy and labor market.”

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin joined IALR and industry partners for a ribbon cutting to recognize the CMA as Virginia’s newest pro-business platform for developing manufacturing technologies that support business expansion in the region and skilled workforce development.

“The Institute of Advanced Learning and Research is a national model of an adaptive education system that delivers the skilled workforce that our business community and industries require today and for tomorrow,” said Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera. “It shows how a locally driven, state supported and federally shared Institute can quickly meet the needs of the business community and build the advanced manufacturing pipeline.”

The 51,250-square-foot facility is a $28.8 million investment to promote collaboration among technology leaders and to provide state-of-the-art space for industry partners to optimize their operations and scale. Both existing manufacturers in the region looking to expand and manufacturers looking to enter Southern Virginia with a new site location will benefit. The CMA will help these companies improve quality and innovate technologies that aid economic and manufacturing competitiveness.

“The advancements that are to come out of the Center for Manufacturing Advancement will have significant implications for developing the processes that support manufacturing expansion, as well as the workforce needed to support that growth,” remarked Telly Tucker, President of IALR. “Today’s manufacturing and workforce challenges require comprehensive and innovative approaches to the way industry collaborates, along with significant investments in infrastructure, equipment and people. The CMA fosters each of these obligations in a way that will benefit the region, the Commonwealth, and the country.”

Funded largely by the Commonwealth of Virginia, the CMA was built in cooperation with Virginia’s Division of Engineering and Buildings with financial incentives provided by the Economic Development Administration, IALR and the IALR Foundation, and the Danville Regional Foundation. The CMA and IALR campus resides on land owned by the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority.

“The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors has strategically and successfully targeted advanced manufacturing as a major component of our economic development efforts,” said Vic Ingram, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and the Regional Industrial Facility Authority (RIFA). “We are so excited to see the positive impact the Center for Manufacturing Advancement has on Danville and Pittsylvania County’s recruitment of new advanced manufacturing companies. I am confident this facility will greatly benefit Pittsylvania County, the City of Danville, and our entire region.”

“The opening of this center is the next big step for our city and region in our effort to become an advanced manufacturing hub and further transform the community in which we live,” said City of Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones. “By providing manufacturers with everything they need to launch and grow, the center will be an important economic development tool. It will grow the portfolio of companies that decide to call our community home, and provide new job opportunities for our citizens. We are a proud partner in this effort.”

The two-story CMA features:

rapid-launch facilities that will enable new businesses to begin limited operations off-site during what is traditionally the initial downtime as new businesses wait for their factory to be constructed and equipped to support full operations;
an ISO-certified inspection lab that will provide integrated inspection capabilities required to validate product quality. This service will reduce the start-up phase for a new company by 4 to 6 months, the time required to certify an inspection lab;
process improvement labs that will enable new and existing businesses to improve their processes in a more expeditious manner, thereby ensuring global competitiveness;
an industry 4.0 integration and training lab that will support next-generation manufacturing requirements
a platform for collaborative innovation that allows manufacturing companies, technology companies and engineering students to work together to discover, integrate and showcase emerging technology; and
concierge service that provides the wrap-around support needed by companies new to the U.S. during their critical start-up phase.

“The opening of the Center for Manufacturing Advancement brings state-of-the-art technological support and increased workforce development capabilities to the economic growth efforts in Danville, Pittsylvania County, and the entire region,” said Representative Bob Good (R-Va.)

The opening of the CMA took place during the second annual Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) Summit where stakeholders convened on topics pertaining to closing skills and workforce gaps within the naval defense industrial base. United States Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, and other defense leaders, legislators, and industry groups addressed the challenges and opportunities for building a labor pool that supports emerging technologies for supplying the nation’s shipbuilding industry.

“The Center for Advanced Manufacturing will help close critical supply chain gaps and accelerate defense manufacturing. It will enable partners to move and adapt at the speed of technology, and directly complements the ATDM program,” said Craig Crenshaw Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs. “ATDM is a great opportunity for our Veterans who are supremely suited to the culture and competencies of defense manufacturing. They provide an immediate connection to the mission.”

The United States Navy will be the first project partner locating in the CMA, selecting three of the high bays as part of a new center of excellence they announced at the ATDM Summit.

“This investment of $28.8 million is a huge win for the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research as well as Danville and Pittsylvania County. Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and IALR continues to create new opportunities for students in Southside Virginia,” said Virginia Senator Bill Stanley. “I would like to thank Governor Youngkin for his work in this project as we ensure that Southside and Southwest Virginia is the best place to live, work, and to raise a family.”