Mountain Empire Community College, in partnership with the 30th Judicial Circuit Adult Recovery Court, Southwest Legal Aid Society, and LENOWISCO, announces continued support of Project Amelioration. Funded by the ARC INSPIRE Initiative, offering:
A community-based partnership bringing together the education, legal, medical, workforce, and recovery communities to develop an alternative “recovery ecosystem” in the heart of the opioid ravaged areas of southwestern Virginia.
Serving Dickenson, Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties along with the city of Norton, Virginia, Mountain Empire Community College provides training in the skilled trades to those in active recovery suffering from Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and those who have been deeply affected by SUD. Skilled trades courses (carpentry, masonry, electrical, and welding) in nationally accredited associations are offered along with wrap-around services to help eliminate barriers to training and employment. Students receive hands-on training along with referrals/access to legal aid services, financial education, life skills training, Morale Reconation Treatment (MRT), OSHA Certification, counseling services, social services, and employment assistance.
Project Amelioration courses are housed in our Workforce Department and are offered at our Center for Workforce & Innovation in Appalachia (CWIA), Virginia, as well as limited offerings in Lee and Dickenson Counties. Most courses run for 15 weeks, Monday-Thursday from 5-9pm and are taught by a licensed trades instructor. We provide all supplies and materials for free including books and tools, as well as a meal every evening, and fuel cards to help defray transportation costs. Tuition is little to NO cost to students with help from financial aid. Hands-on work is completed at our class sites or at various locations in Appalachia, Clintwood, and Pennington Gap, Virginia, to help provide construction services to the community for free.
Carpentry at CWIA begins October 21, 202
Electrical at Dickenson Center for Education and Research begins January 13, 2025
Electrical at CWIA begins May 19, 2025
Welding at Dickenson Center for Education and Research begins May 5, 2025
Stephanie New |
276-523-9123 |
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Ariel Worley |
276-523-9154 |
*National Center for Construction Education and Research