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Signature Programs - Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative (RVHI)

Depending on where you live and how much your parents earn, Virginia presents two very different futures for its teenagers.

 

Draw a line from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, westward across Southside to Southwest Virginia, and then up the Shenandoah Valley, and you would trace an arc that represents 75% of the Commonwealth’s geography. This “Rural Horseshoe” is home to 2.1 million Virginians.

 

In the Horseshoe, nearly one quarter of the population has less than a high school education. As a result, Virginia ranks 31st nationally in the percentage of the population with at least a high school equivalency, despite the high achievement level of the non-Horseshoe areas.

 

The ramifications are real, as the fiscal and social costs of supporting a large portion of the state’s population endanger the prosperity of the state as a whole. Former Virginia Governor Gerald L. Baliles understood this, and his idea for assisting students in his native Patrick County inspired the VFCCE statewide Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative.

 

“There are costs that come from a citizenry that is not prepared to deal with a rapidly changing world—and they will be borne by all of Virginia, regardless of where those costs occur.”

 

-The Honorable Gerald L. Baliles

As a little girl growing up in rural Giles County, Helena wanted to be a doctor. By the time she entered high school, everything had begun to change. "My junior year, I said, 'There's no way I can go to college.' Then I met my RVHI coach and she became my everything—from financial aid and finding the right program to helping me get back on track when my dad died. Because of her, I know I can do this."

Helena, Health Sciences Major

New River Community College

Our Goals for the Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative Are Bold

By improving the educational outcomes of rural communities, we will establish a common foundation for all Virginians, wherever they may live.

 

Within 10 years, we will:

 

  • Cut in half the number of residents living within the Rural Horseshoe who lack a high school diploma or its equivalent from over 20% to under 10%
  • Double the percentage of rural residents who earn an associate degree or other college certification from 26% to 52%

Understanding the workforce impact of VFCCE initiatives on Virginia industry, Huntington Ingalls Industries established a challenge grant to the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, matching dollar-for-dollar the investments of other leading businesses.

C. Michael Petters

President and CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries

Incentives for GED & Adult Education Students

In addition to improving high school graduation rates, the Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative awards incentives to recent GED recipients to encourage continuation of their education in workforce programs and other areas of study.

 

The VFCCE awards thousands of GED incentives per year to enable GED recipients to begin their post-secondary education, as well as allowing them to serve as an inspiration for those without a GED to earn one. Incentive awardees receive comprehensive support from adult career coaches on community college campuses.

 

Support for RVHI not only helps students in rural Virginia build thriving careers, but it also strengthens the Commonwealth as a whole.

Support the Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative