build your future skills
The New River Valley offers hands-on training programs designed to help boost your career in fast-growing fields like advanced manufacturing, information technology, food processing and agribusiness, and uncrewed systems. Through expert-led courses and real-world experience, you’ll gain the skills you need to go to the next level. Start learning today to advance your career.
Meet the colleges
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is the Commonwealth’s leading research institution. The university’s main campus, located in Blacksburg, sits on 2,600 acres and caters to more than 33,000 students. VT offers 250 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, has research facilities across the state, offers study-abroad opportunities, and owns and utilizes a 1,800-acre agriculture research farm.
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Radford University
Radford is home to almost 10,000 students and has received national recognition for many of its undergraduate and graduate academic programs. The University focuses on hands-on learning that equips its students for professional work environments and boasts a nationally recognized Cyber Security lab and a rapidly growing College of Business and Economics.Quick Links
New River Community College
New River Community College’s (NRCC) main campus is located in Dublin, VA, where it supplies the entire region with dedicated and skilled employees. The satellite STEM campus in Christiansburg provides extra convenience for continued education, high school students who want to start their education early, and a focused learning location for STEM students.
NRCC provides eligible high school and homeschool graduates with two years of tuition-free education through the ACCE (Access to Community College Education) program. This public/private partnership is designed to reduce student debt and help students graduate ready to enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year university. In return, participants complete community service hours in their locality each year of the program.
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Explore Training By Industry
NRV Public Schools
Career & Technical Education (CTE) in the NRV public schools partners with local companies to give students real-world skills and career awareness.
Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO TEC) introduces middle school students to engineering, IT, and robotics, providing hands-on experiences and connections to local industries to prepare them for high-demand technology and engineering careers.
New River Community College Advanced Manufacturing & Skilled Trades
New River Community College (NRCC) offers hands-on programs that prepare students for careers in advanced manufacturing across Virginia’s New River Valley. Students can earn engineering certificates or take part in workforce development training to build practical skills in electronics, engineering design, and machine operations.
Programs teach the use of lathes, milling machines, and numerical control tools. Graduates are ready for high-demand careers such as welders, machinists, metal fabricators, tool and die makers, and electricians.
Virginia Tech College of Engineering
Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering is one of the largest and most respected engineering programs in the nation. The college continues to combine hands-on learning, research, and innovation to prepare students to solve real-world problems in fields like nuclear engineering, additive manufacturing, energy engineering, and chemical engineering.
With 35 undergraduate majors and over 13,000 students, Virginia Tech produces more than half of all engineering graduates in Virginia.
New River Community College Computer Science & Information Technology
New River Community College’s IT program prepares students for high-demand technology careers with courses aligned to industry-recognized certifications, including CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+, as well as Cisco Network and Cyber Technician credentials. Students can also earn Microsoft Azure and AI Fundamentals certifications, gaining hands-on experience in cloud computing, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.
Radford University School of Computing Information Sciences
The School of Computing and Information Sciences prepares students for in-demand careers in IT, computer science, data management, and cybersecurity through hands-on learning with real-world technology and tools. Graduates leave ready to solve problems and succeed in today’s fast-paced tech industry.
Radford University IMPACT Lab Cybersecurity Certificate
Gain hands-on experience in data privacy, web threat detection, and cybersecurity best practices through courses aligned with national standards from NIST and NICE. You’ll prepare for industry-recognized certifications like GIAC GPEN, GIAC GCIH, CISSP, CompTIA Security+, and Network+. After completing the program, you’ll also earn 18 undergraduate credits that can count toward a degree at Radford University.
Virginia Tech Business Information Technology
The Business Information Technology (BIT) major is designed to provide students with expertise in the development and use of computer systems and quantitative modeling techniques for solving business problems and making managerial decisions. Students learn the necessary information technology and computing skills to develop and implement sophisticated business-related computer systems. The degree program focuses on the practical application of computing to business problem-solving.
Virginia Tech’s Department of Food Science and Technology
The Department of Food Science & Technology offers hands-on programs that prepare graduates for careers in product development, quality assurance, production management, and more, with nearly all finding jobs at graduation. Students and local food companies benefit from cutting-edge facilities, including a 7,100-square-foot Food Processing & Packaging Pilot Plant for testing new equipment and processes, a Sensory Evaluation Laboratory for studying consumer reactions, and a Food & Beverage Fermentation program recognized by the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.
Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
At CALS, students turn their passion for healthy people, animals, and communities into real-world impact. With hands-on experiences in labs, greenhouses, teaching gardens, and a 1,800-acre farm, students work alongside expert faculty in fields like agribusiness, animal health, human nutrition, food security, and sustainable agriculture. Top-ranked programs, industry partnerships, and global opportunities prepare graduates for high-demand careers, while a tight-knit community and a network of over 240,000 alumni provide mentorship and lifelong connections.
Radford University Accelerated 4+1 Graduate Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Radford University and Virginia Tech have partnered to offer a 4+1 program in Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, allowing students to earn a master’s degree in just one additional year after completing a bachelor’s degree at Radford. The program combines academic rigor with real-world applications, covering topics like applied economic analytics, commodity markets, pricing, and food system challenges. Graduates gain skills in data analysis, econometrics, forecasting, and economic modeling, preparing them for careers as agricultural economists, policy analysts, or market analysts.
Radford University Geology & Unmanned Aerial Systems Minor
Radford’s UAS program provides skills that are highly sought after by employers and widely applicable to related fields such as environmental analysis and infrastructure development. They offer a unique, four-course program in unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Students learn to fly and maintain drones, collect data, develop 3-D models, and gain knowledge leading to FAA professional certification. Drone use teaches students to analyze geologic hazards, aids in geologic mapping, and helps them conduct research.
New River Community College UMS Program
The Engineering Design Program has been recognized by the American Drafting and Design Association (ADDA) as one of the top programs in the country. The program has a focus on “Reverse Engineering” technology, 3D modeling and design, virtual and physical 3D prototyping, Rendering and Virtual Animation.
The Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Components & Maintenance course provides an introduction to the basic equipment and techniques used in maintaining, repairing, and upgrading sUAS to assure airworthiness and proper operation of the other components.
The Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Remote Pilot Ground School course prepares students for the FAA written examination required to obtain the Remote Pilot certificate with sUAS rating.
Virginia Tech UAS Resources
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) is the second largest university-level transportation institute in the U.S. With more than $45 million in annual sponsored R&D expenditures, VTTI is the #1 research facility for both federal and private contracts. It houses 15 research centers and 3 that are nationally known such as the Safety Through Disruption National University Transportation Center.
Virginia Tech research related to UAS is extensive and spans a number of departments and programs. Research areas include guidance and control; sensing and navigation; mobility and actuation; modeling, analysis and design; safety and cybersecurity; power electronics; wireless communication; human/computer interaction; discovery analytics; sociotechnical systems; and transportation.
Recent News
Prestar Wins VA Manufacturing Award
Montgomery County, VA – Prestar Packaging recently won 1st Place and earned the title of The Coolest Thing Made in Virginia in the 2025 Virginia
Virginia Tech Partners with Mining Company
Montgomery County, VA – Virginia Tech recently announced it is partnering with Canadian company Aclara Technologies to build a pilot plant at the Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Launches Virginia Tech Made
Montgomery County, VA – Virginia Tech recently announced the launch of Virginia Tech MADE: The Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The center, housed within the Institute
