A rendering of Henrico’s nearly 49,000-square-foot adult education center at Regency. (Image courtesy of Henrico County Public Schools)
Class is now in session at Regency.
The Henrico County school division’s new adult education center at the mall held its first GED and English-as-a-second-language classes last week, according to Mac Beaton, who is the school district’s director of workforce and career development.
Construction continues on the education center’s nearly 49,000-square-foot space on the lower floor of the mall near the former JCPenney. Beaton said he expected the center to be fully completed by the end of May.
While the center’s construction involves the creation of classrooms for vocational and educational programs, the center also retains the storefronts once used by shops to give companies and trade organizations a means to raise awareness of their industries and hold programming targeted at the center’s students.
“You’re shopping for your future, that’s the whole concept” Beaton said. “We maintained the storefront because from an advertising point of view you put your latest and greatest thing in the storefront window that people walk by and look at.”
The school division leases the center’s space from Regency’s owners Rebkee Co. and Thalhimer Realty Partners. Organizations that make use of the storefronts have individual agreements with the county to use the storefronts located on the center’s main hallway, Beaton said.
“We ask for an MOU (memorandum of understanding) that says what you’re expecting from us and what I’ll expect in return,” he said. “We have 6,000 adults coming through here in a year’s time, that’s 6,000 potential employees that you could have come to work for your company.”
Beaton said agreements for the old store spaces can vary from regular money payments to guarantees to hold regular programming for students. One storefront user, the Virginia Association of Roofing Professionals, is holding annual events in which the center’s students help with local roofing jobs in exchange for the trade organization’s space.
Other storefront users include Bon Secours, the Virginia Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association, Richmond Ford West, Carter Myers Automotive Group and contractor Johnny on the Spot.
Bon Secours is one of a handful of companies and trade organizations to take over former storefronts in Henrico County’s new adult education center at Regency mall. (Jack Jacobs photo)
Also occupying storefront spaces are an outpost of Henrico Federal Credit Union and Tutor Doctor. Those users operate as supplemental services to students, with the former providing financial literacy resources and the latter tutoring services.
While the storefronts are largely spoken for at this time, Beaton said he expected there would be turnover over time to keep things fresh for students. The school division also has set aside space at the center for staff training.
Beaton said this week the partner organizations were in the process of setting up in their storefronts. He expected all of them to be fully up and running by August, which is the same month the center is planning to hold a ribbon-cutting event.
Beaton estimated that the final investment to build the center will shake out to be $3.5 million to $4.5 million. He said the school division expects to pay roughly a fourth of that total, because of donated labor and materials as well as the use of vocational students in the construction will lower costs. Beaton serves as the project’s general contractor.
The center, which is called the Western Henrico Complex, is a relocation of the county adult education program’s Mount Vernon Complex that operated at 7850 Carousel Lane. With the new location also came the new name. Beaton said the decision to open in Regency was made to help make adult education more approachable for people who may be on the fence about continuing their education.
“What I see this becoming is a destination point for future education in the adult world. If you had to choose between going to Varina High School for an adult ed class or here, where would you rather go?” he said.
Construction on Henrico’s new adult education center is expected to be completed by the end of May. (Image courtesy of Henrico County Public Schools)
The center opens at Regency as the mall undergoes a transformation into a mixed-use development. An an 18-court pickleball venue is in the works at Regency and The Goddard School, a chain of early education centers, recently opened at the mall.
Henrico announced plans for the adult education center at Regency in early 2022.
A rendering of Henrico’s nearly 49,000-square-foot adult education center at Regency. (Image courtesy of Henrico County Public Schools)
Class is now in session at Regency.
The Henrico County school division’s new adult education center at the mall held its first GED and English-as-a-second-language classes last week, according to Mac Beaton, who is the school district’s director of workforce and career development.
Construction continues on the education center’s nearly 49,000-square-foot space on the lower floor of the mall near the former JCPenney. Beaton said he expected the center to be fully completed by the end of May.
While the center’s construction involves the creation of classrooms for vocational and educational programs, the center also retains the storefronts once used by shops to give companies and trade organizations a means to raise awareness of their industries and hold programming targeted at the center’s students.
“You’re shopping for your future, that’s the whole concept” Beaton said. “We maintained the storefront because from an advertising point of view you put your latest and greatest thing in the storefront window that people walk by and look at.”
The school division leases the center’s space from Regency’s owners Rebkee Co. and Thalhimer Realty Partners. Organizations that make use of the storefronts have individual agreements with the county to use the storefronts located on the center’s main hallway, Beaton said.
“We ask for an MOU (memorandum of understanding) that says what you’re expecting from us and what I’ll expect in return,” he said. “We have 6,000 adults coming through here in a year’s time, that’s 6,000 potential employees that you could have come to work for your company.”
Beaton said agreements for the old store spaces can vary from regular money payments to guarantees to hold regular programming for students. One storefront user, the Virginia Association of Roofing Professionals, is holding annual events in which the center’s students help with local roofing jobs in exchange for the trade organization’s space.
Other storefront users include Bon Secours, the Virginia Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association, Richmond Ford West, Carter Myers Automotive Group and contractor Johnny on the Spot.
Bon Secours is one of a handful of companies and trade organizations to take over former storefronts in Henrico County’s new adult education center at Regency mall. (Jack Jacobs photo)
Also occupying storefront spaces are an outpost of Henrico Federal Credit Union and Tutor Doctor. Those users operate as supplemental services to students, with the former providing financial literacy resources and the latter tutoring services.
While the storefronts are largely spoken for at this time, Beaton said he expected there would be turnover over time to keep things fresh for students. The school division also has set aside space at the center for staff training.
Beaton said this week the partner organizations were in the process of setting up in their storefronts. He expected all of them to be fully up and running by August, which is the same month the center is planning to hold a ribbon-cutting event.
Beaton estimated that the final investment to build the center will shake out to be $3.5 million to $4.5 million. He said the school division expects to pay roughly a fourth of that total, because of donated labor and materials as well as the use of vocational students in the construction will lower costs. Beaton serves as the project’s general contractor.
The center, which is called the Western Henrico Complex, is a relocation of the county adult education program’s Mount Vernon Complex that operated at 7850 Carousel Lane. With the new location also came the new name. Beaton said the decision to open in Regency was made to help make adult education more approachable for people who may be on the fence about continuing their education.
“What I see this becoming is a destination point for future education in the adult world. If you had to choose between going to Varina High School for an adult ed class or here, where would you rather go?” he said.
Construction on Henrico’s new adult education center is expected to be completed by the end of May. (Image courtesy of Henrico County Public Schools)
The center opens at Regency as the mall undergoes a transformation into a mixed-use development. An an 18-court pickleball venue is in the works at Regency and The Goddard School, a chain of early education centers, recently opened at the mall.
Henrico announced plans for the adult education center at Regency in early 2022.
Henrico County continues to excel with forward thinking, and execution!
First it put up some dollars through bonds to help with the redevelopment of the site and then helps pay for the bonds with rent at the site from the school’s general operating funds revenue; I mean I guess that is better and more forward thinking than the City that puts up the dollars, uses ridiculous figures, and then pays the bonds back the bonds with general fund revenue without getting any services or use from the redeveloped site.