FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Cyber Bytes Foundation
AI Mobile Unit for Workforce & Education
aimobileunit@
Region 6-based company will support curriculum development, hardware and network design, platform configuration, and AI advisory services for the GO Virginia Regions 6 & 9 initiative
Stafford, Virginia — September 2026 — The Cyber Bytes Foundation (CBF) is pleased to announce RapidAscent as a key training and technology partner for the AI Mobile Unit for Workforce & Education, a regional workforce initiative bringing hands-on artificial intelligence education, industry-recognized certifications, and career pathways directly to communities throughout GO Virginia Regions 6 and 9.
As part of the initiative, RapidAscent will provide expertise across several critical components of the AI Mobile Unit, including AI curriculum development, hardware recommendations, networking and technical setup, learning-platform configuration, and ongoing AI advisory support. RapidAscent will work alongside CBF and the project’s education, workforce, economic development, and industry partners to help ensure the mobile learning environment is practical, scalable, secure, and aligned with the skills learners need in an increasingly AI-enabled workforce.
The partnership also represents an investment in the regional business ecosystem. RapidAscent is a GO Virginia Region 6-based business with an established model focused on moving learners beyond traditional classroom instruction through hands-on, job-simulated learning, technical training, industry certifications, and connections to employment opportunities.
“Selecting a company that understands both workforce development and hands-on technical education was important to us” said Nancy Pattillo, Executive Director of the Cyber Bytes Foundation. “RapidAscent brings experience building training around what learners actually need to do—not simply what they need to know. Their expertise will help us build an AI Mobile Unit experience that connects education, certification, practical skills, and ultimately career opportunities.”
RapidAscent’s training model emphasizes applied learning through real-world technical tasks, instructor-led education, simulated workplace environments, certification preparation, and employer engagement. That experience closely aligns with the workforce-development goals established in the AI Mobile Unit’s GO Virginia grant proposal.
Building Virginia’s AI-Ready Workforce
The AI Mobile Unit for Workforce & Education was designed to address a growing regional need for accessible AI education and workforce training, particularly in rural and underserved communities where access to emerging-technology programs can be limited.
Through two mobile training units, the initiative will bring technology, instructors, curriculum, and connectivity directly to schools, workforce centers, businesses, and community locations across GO Virginia Regions 6 and 9.
Over the two-year project period, the initiative is designed to:
- Deliver approximately 80 AI workshops
- Provide AI training to approximately 2,000 students
- Train and certify 80 educators
- Support approximately 280 learners in earning AI-related industry certifications
- Provide AI training and workforce support to at least 20 regional businesses
- Establish pathways connecting AI education, industry-recognized certifications, dual enrollment, and future employment opportunities
Training will include foundational AI literacy, responsible and ethical AI use, prompt engineering, practical workplace applications of AI, and preparation for industry-recognized credentials, including CompTIA AI certifications.
RapidAscent’s role will help translate these goals into a repeatable instructional and technical model that can be delivered consistently as the mobile units travel throughout the two regions.
From Training to Workforce Outcomes
A central objective of the GO Virginia initiative is ensuring that AI education contributes to a stronger regional workforce—not simply increased awareness of emerging technology.
By combining CBF’s regional workforce and education partnerships with RapidAscent’s experience in hands-on, employment-focused technical training, the partnership will help create learning experiences designed around practical skills, measurable competencies, certification attainment, and exposure to career opportunities.
The model will also support educators and instructors by providing structured curriculum and resources that can be replicated as the initiative expands.
“This is exactly the type of regional collaboration the AI Mobile Unit was designed to create,” Pattillo said. “We are bringing together education, workforce development, local government, industry, and Virginia-based businesses to create a sustainable talent pipeline. The goal is not just to teach people about AI. We want participants to leave with skills they can demonstrate, credentials they can carry forward, and a clearer pathway into Virginia’s workforce.”
The AI Mobile Unit is launching during the 2026–2027 school year and will serve communities throughout GO Virginia Regions 6 and 9.
###
About RapidAscent
RapidAscent provides hands-on, job-readiness training designed to prepare learners for careers in cybersecurity, information technology, networking, AI, and related technology fields. Its training model combines practitioner-led instruction, real-world job simulations, technical projects, certification preparation, and employer engagement to help learners develop skills that translate into the workplace.
RapidAscent’s experience delivering hands-on technical education and supporting learners as they move from training to industry certifications and employment opportunities makes the company a strong fit for the workforce-focused objectives of the AI Mobile Unit.
About Cyber Bytes Foundation
The Cyber Bytes Foundation (CBF) is a Virginia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing workforce development, education, and innovation in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies. Through partnerships with education, government, workforce organizations, and industry, CBF develops hands-on programs that connect learners with technical skills, industry-recognized credentials, experiential learning, and pathways into high-demand careers.
About the AI Mobile Unit for Workforce & Education
The AI Mobile Unit for Workforce & Education is a collaborative workforce-development initiative serving GO Virginia Regions 6 and 9. The project brings mobile AI training directly to students, educators, adult learners, businesses, and communities, expanding access to emerging-technology education while strengthening Virginia’s regional talent pipeline.
This project is funded in part by GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) that strengthens and diversifies Virginia’s economy and fosters the creation of higher-wage jobs in strategic industries.