Ride Along with Reynolds -- July 2023

Ride Along with Reynolds, a series about where the college is heading, who's joining us for the ride, and why it matters for our students and the community.

Transcript

Hi, I'm President Paula Pando, inviting you to Ride Along with Reynolds — a regular update on where the college is heading, who's joining us for the journey, and why it matters for our students and community.

Is it hot enough out there for you?

In the early days of my presidency, when I met with business leaders, I was asked about my vision for the college. What I said then remains true today: I want Reynolds to be top of mind for businesses when they think about their talent needs.

We are proud that Reynolds is committed to meeting the changing needs of business and industry, now more so than ever before. It's evident at our Downtown Campus in Richmond, where we're investing to create a world-class center to prepare people for high-demand, high-wage careers in technology, health care, and skilled trades.

Recently, Virginia Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater toured one of our new skilled-trades labs. He was joined by the CEO of Independent Electrical Contractors Chesapeake.

IECC is partnering with the college through our Community College Workforce Alliance on a new electrical apprenticeship program that leads to a journeyman's license. Many go on to become project managers, foremen, estimators, and business owners.

At our Parham Road Campus in Henrico County, our partnership with Toyota North America is on full display with a new facility underway, additional auto labs, and a waitlist of students ready to get started.

Reynolds is just the 39th community college in the nation to be a Toyota T-TEN partner. The T-TEN program at Reynolds prepares master technicians to work on Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Great programs are largely defined by great partnerships. Locally, that's Loyalty Automotive. Loyalty has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship support and cost-of-living stipends. They employ our automotive students while they learn and recently donated a Toyota Prius so students can gain valuable experience servicing hybrid vehicles. And did I mention the program has a waitlist?

On the health-care front, one of our most important partnerships is with VCU Health. And speaking of great partners, here's Sheryl Garland, Chief of Health Impact at VCU Health.

Sheryl Garland, Chief of Health Impact, VCU Health System: "Reynolds and VCU Health, along with the Community College Workforce Alliance, have been working together for almost two years to create a partnership to address many of the health-care shortage issues that VCU Health System facilities have been encountering — especially since the beginning of the pandemic."

What a great partnership! VCU Health, Loyalty Automotive, and Independent Electrical Contractors Chesapeake — these are just a few examples of the great partners we're working with to develop the talent our region needs to thrive.

Thank you for joining us on this edition of Ride Along with Reynolds. See you next month!