Hurt named GO TEC manager

Published 9:47 am Thursday, July 11, 2019

Dr. Tammy Hurt, who was most recently STEM coordinator for Prince Edward County Public Schools, was announced as the Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO TEC) manager for The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR).

Tammy Hurt

Hurt began her position July 1.

According to a news release from IALR, “she will lead this GO Virginia-funded initiative to expand talent development efforts for critical career paths across GO Virginia Regions 1, 3 and 4. This area encompasses many of Virginia’s rural counties stretching from Wythe County to Greensville County.”

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Dr. Julie Brown, interim director for GO TEC and Director of Advanced Learning at IALR said Hurt’s experiences in education will lend well to the position.

“Her K-12, STEM and CTE experience will prove invaluable as she leads the planning and execution efforts for this quickly progressing project,” Brown said. “We look forward to collaborating with Dr. Hurt and, under her leadership, continuing to build a highly skilled workforce capable of attracting and retaining top employers to our Commonwealth.”

Hurt’s previous roles include her work as a middle school principal for PECPS and as an assistant principal and CTE (Career and Technical Education) instructor with Mecklenburg County Public Schools.

She recently received her Doctorate of Education from Liberty University, where she also earned her Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction and her master’s in Education in Administration and Supervision.

“I am very excited to accept the GO TEC program manager position and to work on this amazing initiative in order to further identify and build upon the skilled labor force in Southern Virginia,” Hurt said in the release.

In March, GO TEC received the largest grant to date from the GO Virginia competitive funding pool at up to $4.9 million from the GO Virginia State Board. This will be matched one-to-one by support from more than 15 local partners.

The project will deliver workforce training and development through a “hub and spoke” model and will target in-demand occupations identified across Southern and Southwest Virginia.

Such career paths include IT/cybersecurity, robotics, automation and mechatronics, precision machining, welding and advanced materials, according to the release.

GO TEC higher education leadership partners include Southside Virginia Community College, Patrick Henry Community College, Danville Community College, New College Institute, Wytheville Community College, the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center and IALR, which serves as the program administrator and fiscal agent.

The release cited that the multi-phase project started with the successful launch of pilot Career Connections labs at Danville Public Schools’ Westwood Middle School and Pittsylvania County School’s Chatham Middle School for the 2018-2019 school year. Thanks to specialized equipment and software — including a welding simulator, coding software and 3D printer — middle-school students learned about career paths in an engaging, hands-on manner.

This “spoke” level training (or basic skill training) introduced the pathways at an earlier age so that the students may take advantage of expanded career and technical courses and dual-enrollment program opportunities in high school and potentially “hub” level training (or mastery level training) in higher education. The project will expand to include more middle schools as phases progress.

The IALR, based in Danville, seeks to transform the region’s economy through advanced learning and applied research among other services.