Retired Brig. Gen. Walt Mercer, the Virginia Department of Military Affairs Chief Operations Officer, signs a memorandum of agreement with Dr. Quentin R. Johnson, president of Southside Virginia Community College, during a ceremony Oct. 27, 2022, at the SVCC campus in Alberta, Virginia. The agreement will help trade students at SVCC participate in apprenticeships at DMA facilities including Fort Pickett, where they will work alongside DMA employees in the plumbing, heating and cooling and other trade fields. The agreement also creates an opportunity for participants to eventually help DMA fill vacancies in trade technician positions.