Radford University awarded ARC POWER grant to develop AI-driven workforce roadmap for the New River Valley

Radford University has been awarded $97,472 by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for a new planning initiative focused on how artificial intelligence can support workforce development, economic diversification and career pathway development across Southwest Virginia.

The award is provided through ARC’s POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative, which helps Appalachian communities create new economic opportunities, strengthen local industries and prepare workers for in-demand careers.

Through the project, Radford University's Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab will lead a 12-month regional planning initiative focused on the New River Valley, including Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski and Floyd counties as well as the city of Radford.

Working with schools, colleges, workforce organizations, local governments, economic development partners and employers, the project will assess the impact of AI on the regional economy, evaluate workforce and training needs and develop a regional roadmap to support AI-enabled career pathways across cybersecurity, information technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, construction and the skilled trades.

“Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how organizations operate across nearly every sector of our economy,” said Tom Bennett II, project director for the grant and senior director of operations and planning for Radford University’s Economic Development and Corporate Education division. “This project gives the New River Valley an opportunity to proactively assess workforce needs, engage employers and create a regional strategy that ensures students, workers and employers are prepared to succeed in an AI-enabled economy. Just as importantly, this planning effort positions the region to pursue future implementation funding that can translate strategy into workforce training and career pathways.”

The project will result in two major deliverables: an AI workforce feasibility report and an implementation roadmap. Together, these resources will identify regional workforce needs, outline potential training and credentialing opportunities and determine the funding, infrastructure and staffing needed to move from planning to implementation.

“Cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are becoming foundational skills across industries,” said Prem Uppuluri, co-principal investigator on the project and professor and program director of cybersecurity within Radford University’s Artis College of Science and Technology. “By working closely with employers and education partners, we can better understand workforce use cases of AI and align educational pathways with the skills employers need today and in the future to support those use cases.”

“One of the most important aspects of this project is the opportunity to use workforce data, labor market trends and employer feedback to better understand how AI is reshaping workforce needs, where skill gaps are emerging and how we can better prepare students and workers for new career opportunities,” said Ali Mokhtari, assistant professor of computer science in Radford University’s Artis College of Science and Technology and technical research lead for the project.

For the New River Valley, where communities continue to navigate economic and workforce transitions driven by technological change and evolving industry needs, the project is designed to help prepare the region for the next generation of jobs. By connecting education, workforce training and employer needs, Radford University and its partners will help create pathways to high-demand, technology-enabled careers while strengthening long-term economic resilience.

The initiative is also intended to position the region for future ARC implementation funding and other federal, state and private-sector investments that support workforce development and economic diversification.

Project partners include New River Community College, Montgomery County Public Schools, Pulaski County Public Schools, the New River Valley Regional Commission, the New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board, Onward NRV, the City of Radford, Montgomery County Economic Development Authority, MELD Manufacturing and Carilion Clinic.

Learn more at www.arc.gov/POWER.

About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development partnership of the federal government and 13 state governments serving 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC invests in projects that strengthen economic opportunity, workforce readiness, critical infrastructure and community capacity to help Appalachia achieve sustainable economic growth and prosperity.