DANVILLE, Va. – Danville has been awarded a major state grant to help people out of poverty.
The $339,600 grant will go to the new program, "SCALE UP," which stands for "Success Credentialing Assistance Leading to Employment and Upending Poverty."
Recommended Videos
With the grant, SCALE UP will help give participants hard and soft skills training to overcome barriers to self-sufficiency.
Danville Community College will head the program in collaboration with the city of Danville's Division of Social Services and the Danville Office of the Virginia Employment Commission.
The program will focus on both at-risk youth and adults.
For at-risk youth, the goal will be to provide education. For adults, programming will focus on four-month and 10-month training programs for automotive, culinary arts, welding, cosmetology and other basic programming.
“Any individual would have a choice of any program in our curriculum, but these options are the ones that we know will provide them with in-demand skills for a high-wage job,” George Still, director of institutional planning, effectiveness and research at DCC, said.
The grant also will provide “last-dollar assistance” for tuition and other expenses and ensure the programs will continue even if enrollment is low.
The Virginia Department of Social Services awarded the grant from its Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF, funds.
For more information on the available programs of study, visit www.danville.edu.