Marymount University to Launch NOVATech Works Hub to Advance Regional Innovation and Workforce Growth

Marymount University has received a GO Virginia Region 7 Planning Grant to design NOVATech Works, a strategic virtual tech talent coordination hub for Northern Virginia. The planning effort is closely aligned with the Region 7 2025 Growth & Diversification Plan and Talent Pathways Initiative, which emphasize software, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies as engines of regional economic growth and resilience.

Marymount will lead the initiative through its Center for the Innovative Workforce and Technology Training Academy, which focus on entry-level technology training and career transitions in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, software development, help desk, and cybersecurity. The university is coordinating the planning effort and contributing faculty leadership, staff time, and institutional resources as part of the required match for the GO Virginia grant.

The NOVATech Works initiative is a regional workforce and innovation project that will explore how a coordinated, web-based hub can connect training providers, employers, and workforce organizations to better support tech upskilling and reskilling. The project responds to rapidly evolving talent needs in areas like a AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and quantum, as well as an influx of experienced workers—recently displaced from federal agencies and government contractors who need clear pathways into new technology roles. This new hub is envisioned as a central access point where individuals and employers can more easily find high-quality programs and resources aligned with Northern Virginia’s tech economy.

Over a nine-month planning period, the NOVATech Works team led by Marymount University will develop an implementation roadmap for the hub. The planning effort will:

• Engage employers and industry partners to identify in-demand tech skills and credentials across key sectors.

• Review national and regional talent hub models to identify best practices that can be adapted for Northern Virginia.

• Develop an initial catalog of high-quality training programs and certifications in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, AI, cloud, and related technologies.

• Design pathways to integrate the hub with existing workforce infrastructure, including local job centers, economic development offices, and higher education partners.

• Outline a data and outcomes framework to track skills demand, training capacity, and job placement results.

NOVATech Works aims to position Northern Virginia as a region where tech workers and employers can navigate opportunities with greater clarity and coordination. Through this planning process, Marymount and its partners will map existing resources, identify gaps in training and support, and define the core functions of a virtual hub that can grow over time to meet changing industry needs.

A cross-sector NOVATech Works Planning Advisory Committee will guide the work, bringing together local governments, workforce organizations, employers, and training providers from across Region 7. Initial participants include regional economic development authorities, the Alexandria/Arlington Regional Workforce Council, Northern Virginia Community College, and selected industry and training partners such as HIMSS and SANS/Virginia Cyber Skills Academies. This advisory group will serve as a think tank for the hub, helping to shape its design, priorities, and long-term sustainability.

Regional economic development partners who are providing support for the project stress how closely NOVATech Works aligns with their strategic priorities. As Ryan Touhill, Director of Arlington Economic Development, notes, “The continued growth and diversification of our region’s technology ecosystem requires a tech-ready, AI-fluent workforce.” Arlington is supporting the effort with in-kind contributions, including staff time, workforce data, employer connections, and participation on the Planning Advisory Committee, helping to connect the hub to the broader innovation ecosystem.

Industry and training partners also emphasize the importance of a coordinated regional approach. HIMSS, a global advisor advancing health through information and technology and a match-contributing partner, has committed memberships, advisory time, and access to its Arlington meeting space as in-kind support, reflecting its commitment to building a diverse, innovation-ready workforce.

Through this collaboration, NOVATech Works partners are laying the groundwork for a more connected regional tech ecosystem—one that aligns reskilling, training, and hiring with the region’s most dynamic industries. The NOVATech Works planning effort is both timely and necessary: it will strengthen the region’s tech talent pipeline, support continued growth in priority clusters, and help Northern Virginia maintain its position as a national technology leader powered by local talent.