Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC) is one of three community colleges awarded a grant for $85,000 from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) as part of the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) to support delivery of the Mike Rowe Works (MRW) Work Ethic Certification. MRW curriculum was developed in partnership with Wichita State University Tech to examine the importance of work ethic, personal responsibility and a positive attitude.
“Skill and competency development at Virginia’s community colleges prepares students to secure paid internships and career opportunities,” said Dr. Alisha Bazemore, assistant director of innovative work-based learning initiatives at SCHEV. “The overlay of the MRW Work Ethic curriculum provides a soft skills foundation for those students to become more marketable to potential employers.”
P&HCC, as a National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) Leadership School, was one of two schools in Virginia, and twenty schools nationally, to pilot the Mike Rowe Works Work Ethic Curriculum in 2020 through a partnership of NC3, the Mike Rowe Works Foundation, and Wichita State University Tech. Shannon Whitlow, P&HCC’s Career Services Coordinator at that time, became a Master Instructor for the program. P&HCC offered the training to multiple cohorts of students, primarily in the college’s unique programs that serve underrepresented students, including Hope Center Ministries recovery program, Guided Career Exploration youth program in partnership with Virginia Career Works – West Piedmont, and the Road to Success in Virginia Program, which provides assistance for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients. P&HCC issued 51 Mike Rowe Works Work Ethic Certificates during the pilot. Now, P&HCC will take the lead on a regional project serving V-TOP Region 3 in partnership with Danville Community College and Southside Virginia Community College.
“Patrick & Henry Community College is proud of the work accomplished as part of the pilot program that introduced the Mike Rowe Works Work Ethic curriculum across the country at community colleges and we are honored to lead the region in implementing the program in our area,” said P&HCC president Dr. Greg Hodges.
As the Southern VA Works Collaborative, P&HCC will work with Danville Community College (DCC) and Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) to serve V-TOP Region 3. This includes P&HCC’s service region (Henry County, Patrick County, and the city of Martinsville). Danville Community College serves Pittsylvania County, Halifax County, and the city of Danville. Southside Virginia Community College serves the following counties: Brunswick, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Greensville, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, and Prince Edward.
The three community colleges have committed to partnering on instruction to serve the entire V-TOP three region. All three community colleges enjoy strong working relationships with the workforce development boards which serve Region 3: Virginia Career Works – West Piedmont and Virginia Career Works – South Central, including representation on the Boards. Virginia Career Works partners will assist with outreach and recruitment for the program. Additionally, all three community colleges are partners with K-12 and higher education centers through GO TEC, a highly successful talent pathways initiative through GO Virginia Region 3.
V-TOP is administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in partnership with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. It is funded by the General Assembly’s Commonwealth Innovative Internship Fund and Program.
