GO TEC Virginia

Help us congratulate each of the award winners from last week's GO TEC VEX IQ Robotics competition.

🥇 First Place: Bucky Broncos, O.T. Bonner Middle School, Danville Public Schools
🥈 Second Place: The Algebros, Gretna Middle School, Pittsylvania County Schools
🥉 Third Place: The Chaos Crew, Dinwiddie Middle School, Dinwiddie County Public Schools

This event gave 20 teams of GO TEC students an opportunity to showcase their robotics skills, collaborate with classmates and students from other schools, and have plenty of fun.

Full event recap: https://ow.ly/5KMa50VCk0g
More photos: https://ow.ly/vFio50VCk0f

Incredible robotics competition! The energy was off the charts, the teamwork was impressive and the creativity was flowing.

Get the full recap: https://ow.ly/nhOe50VAf89

How do you grow a career exploration program from a few middle schools to 73 across Virginia?

How do you monitor and maintain a hundred pieces of technology in each middle school classroom?

How do you ensure that every teacher has the training and support they need?

Hear all of this and more on this episode of , featuring Jake Taylor, Technical and Training Manager for the Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers program.

Listen wherever you get podcasts.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2198094/episodes/16876797

Congratulations to Jake Taylor, who was recently named STEM Innovator of the Year by STARBASE Victory!

Jake is the Technical and Training Manager for the Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO TEC®) program. GO TEC® Virginia engages middle school students through hands-on experiences with technology and equipment, introducing them to potential careers in Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing and STEM fields. Jake leads a team that provides technical expertise and training to educators across Virginia.

Help us congratulate Jake and thank him for his meaningful efforts to enhance STEM education across Virginia.

More and more Virginia middle schools are offering the Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO TEC®) program. The goal is simple: give middle school students memorable, hands-on introductions to STEM-focused careers.

In the 2024-2025 academic year, 52 middle schools ranging from Abingdon to Hampton Roads offer GO TEC.

In the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year, we are projected to have 73 middle schools in the program.

Career sectors range from robotics and automation to welding to precision machining to electrical engineering to computer coding.

This program successfully sparks kids' interest in these meaningful career paths.

GO TEC GO TEC® stimulates job growth within the commonwealth by creating dependable talent pipelines in strategic, STEM-focused sectors.

Success! Tonight's CTE Showcase at the Southern Virginia Higher Ed Center (SVHEC) provided parents, students, and other community stakeholders an overview of the many training opportunites in a variety of career paths for local students. The GO TEC Mobile Lab showcased the middle school opportunities for all localities and provided hands-on experiences highlighting how students become engaged and exposed to these career paths at an early age.

That's us!