A new program through Danville Community College and the University of Virginia gives Southside residents the opportunity to earn an engineering degree without leaving the area.

The Institute for Advanced Learning & Research and DCC are partnering with U.Va.’s School of Engineering and Applied Science to develop an engineering work force in southern Virginia. The “Engineers Produced in Virginia,” program offers associate engineering degrees from DCC and bachelors degrees in engineering from U.Va., allowing students to complete coursework at a full-time or part-time pace.

“This partnership provides students in southern Virginia with unprecedented access to the opportunities of high technology higher education,” U.Va. professor and program director James Groves said in a statement. “This program reduces the cost of an under-graduate engineering degree by nearly $20,000 and establishes a local pathway to starting salaries of $50,000 and above.”

Several regional companies are supporting the program, including Davenport Energy and First Piedmont Corporation.

“Davenport Energy and First Piedmont Corporation would certainly benefit from engineering skills in setting up new sites and working with operational issues,” Chairman Ben Davenport Jr. said.

An information session about the program will be held June 15 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at the Institute, 150 Slayton Avenue in Danville.

For more information, con-tact Laura Buchanan at (434) 766-6617 or visit http://www.seas.virginia.edu/producedinva.