Governor Glenn Youngkin joined Google officials at the company’s location in Reston, Virginia, where Google announced an additional $300 million investment into its Virginia presence. The company also announced a $250,000 grant to CodeVA to partner with stakeholders to create computer science lab schools; additionally, the company will partner with Virginia’s community colleges to provide professional certifications.
“Google’s investment and partnership announcement is a timely and exciting development for the Commonwealth. Code with Google and CodeVA will prepare the next generation of Virginia’s students for careers in computer science. As governor, I am committed to creating workforce development opportunities, expanding our computer science opportunities for Virginia’s students, and reestablishing high expectations in education,” Youngkin said in a press release.
After charter schools legislation failed, Republicans have been pushing for the General Assembly to expand Virginia’s lab schools law to allow partnerships with for-profit institutions. Senate Democrats seem open to expanding lab schools legislation but their legislation does not allow for-profit institution partnerships.
“Now the General Assembly must act to move forward with lab schools to maximize the potential of the partnerships announced today for the benefit of Virginia’s students,” Youngkin said in the release.
On April 13, Google announced plans to invest about $9.5 billion in offices and data centers across the U.S. In addition to its Reston office, the company has data centers in Loudoun County.
“I have lived in Virginia for more than 40 years and am thrilled to see Google continue to grow and invest in the region,” Google Vice President Vint Cerf said in the release. “We’re committed to playing a positive role in the communities we call home, and our latest partnerships with CodeVA, VCCS [Virginia Community College System], and the Department of Education to help nurture the next generation of tech talent in Virginia are another testament to that commitment.”
This article originally appeared in The Virginia Star. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Republican Standard.