SSTI Digest

Geography: Virginia

Tech Talkin’ Govs, Part II: CO, GA, SC, VA, WA, WY focus on tech needs, education, more

More governors delivered their state of the state addresses and this week we bring you TBED news from governors around the country. Areas of focus include tech infrastructure needs, diversifying economies, cybersecurity and education. While some governors are giving their inaugural addresses, Gov. Nikki Haley used her time to bid farewell. Following are excerpts from the past week’s addresses.

Corporate Foundations Announce Partnerships to Support Active, Hands-on STEM Education

As the school year kicks off, several corporate foundations have announced new commitments to support hands-on K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) experiences for children across the country. These new partnerships continue a trend of corporate funders bypassing funding for STEM curriculum development to focus on active learning experiences that are shown to have positive impact on STEM retention. Among the corporate foundations making announcements include Microsoft Philanthropies, Motorola Solutions Foundation, and Qualcomm.

States Commit to Improve Economic Prosperity Through Increased Broadband Access

A month after a federal court ruled that high-speed Internet service can be defined as a utility, four states have announced commitments to expand high quality, reliable broadband services to rural areas and other underrepresented groups. Two Midwest states, Wisconsin and Minnesota, will provide funding to help support projects that improve access to broadband and spur economic prosperity. California and Virginia are exploring strategies to improve their respective state’s broadband networks.

VA Expands Registered Apprenticeships to Cybersecurity Careers

In June, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced that Virginia businesses can offer registered apprenticeships to individuals in three cybersecurity occupations – Information Security Analyst; Cyber Security Analyst; and, Incident Response Analyst. The Virginia Apprenticeship Council approved the three new registered apprenticeships as well as the criteria that registered apprentices in cybersecurity must learn and demonstrate through the program for the necessary proficiency in the cybersecurity field. Administered by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, the state’s registered apprenticeship program combines on-the-job learning with classroom-related instruction – classroom instruction is often delivered by a local community college or career and technical education center. To incentivize companies to hire cybersecurity apprentices, the state also recently launched the Registered Apprenticeship Related Instruction Incentive Program – a tax incentive program that provides companies up to $1,000 per year per registered apprentice for up to 10 registered apprentices. These new registered apprenticeships are part of Gov. McAuliffe’s efforts to grow the state’s cybersecurity industry. Read the announcement…

Workforce Efforts in AL, TX, VA Look to Build, Maintain Talent Pipelines

While the recent Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) has some economists concerned that the U.S. economy is running out of qualified workers to fill existing openings, several states have announced workforce programs that are intended to address the skills-gap and build the talent pipeline in their respective states. These programs are intended to build regional partnerships between local workforce development agencies, economic development agencies, industry, and others. Approaches include a statewide apprenticeship tax credit in Alabama; occupation training for high-demand occupations in Texas; and, incumbent workforce training in Virginia.

VA Gov Set to Sign Package of ED Bills Including New Research Fund

On April 20, the Virginia General Assembly sent three economic development-focused bills (HB 1343, HB 846, and HB 834) to Gov. Terry McAuliffe. The bills include the creation of a new research fund and the creation of a network of regional economic development councils. Although the bills have yet to be signed, Gov. McAuliffe has publicly supported each of them. This package of economic development initiatives was originally proposed in the governor’s economic development strategy as well as his recent budget proposal. However, it took some compromise between the governor’s original proposals and the General Assembly to reach a final package.

VA Gov Announces $20M in Workforce Funding Including Pay-For-Performance Workforce Initiative

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the creation of a pay-for-performance workforce training program that will help Virginia workers acquire the industry certifications and occupational licenses that meet the needs of key businesses in each region of the state. The New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Fund and Program is part of a $20 million commitment to support workforce efforts across the state over the next two years including $12.5 million for credential incentives, $6 million for equipment needed by career and technical training programs, and $1.5 million for a veterans’ portal to strengthen outreach to this key population.

17 Governors Sign Accord to Promote Clean Energy, Economic Prosperity

A bipartisan group of 17 governors signed the Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future – a joint commitment to support the deployment of renewable, cleaner and more efficient energy technologies and other solutions to make the U.S. economy more productive and resilient as well as spur job creation in member states. The multi-state effort will work to implement clean energy policies and initiatives in four areas: clean energy, clean transportation choices, a modern electrical grid, and plan for a new energy future. Although the accord doesn’t provide specific efforts, senior advisors to participating governors are expected to convene shortly to discuss initial steps to pursue their shared priorities and commitments according to solarindustrymag.com.

PA One Step Closer to Budget Deal; HI, NM, VA Govs Outline Spending Plans

While many states have begun negotiations on budget plans for FY17 and beyond, Pennsylvania has made some progress on FY16 spending. Gov. Tom Wolf signed a partial budget that funded many agencies and programs related to economic development, but that did not include higher education funding and other operations. In the coming months, SSTI will review gubernatorial addresses and budget proposals related to economic development. This week, we highlight developments in Hawaii, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Universities Build Diverse Partnerships to Fund Startups

In the face of declining state funding and drawn-out budget negotiations, universities are moving beyond traditional budget procedures to secure funding for their economic development activities. Over the past few months, several universities have leveraged new sources of public and private funds to establish seed funds for university technology. These efforts are intended to increase the number of businesses emerging from their respective educational and research programs and spur regional economic prosperity.

States Seek Slice of Growing Unmanned Aircraft Industry

As the Federal Aviation Administration continues to propose regulations around the fledging unmanned aircraft system (UAS) industry in order to ensure that it integrates into the current system as well as possible, states are beginning to act in order to improve their own competitiveness. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 directed the FAA to establish a test sites program for the UAS, taking into account geographic and climatic diversity, location of ground infrastructure, and research needs in choosing the sites. In December 2013, the FAA announced the selection of six public entities in Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas, and Virginia for test sites, all of which became operational in 2014. With test site operations allowed to continue until February 2017 under current law, state agencies, in conjunction with universities and the private sector, are attempting to take advantage of the industry’s vast potential: more than 100,000 jobs created through the year 2025, with an expected economic impact of $82 billion, according to a report by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

VA Youth Entrepreneurship Council to Expand Student IP Rights, Opportunities

A new Virginia council will coordinate the state’s efforts to help young people create businesses. Gov. Terry McAuliffe recently signed Executive Order 47 establishing the Governor’s Council on Youth Entrepreneurship, following up on a series of roundtables with students and faculty. The council will issue recommendations later this year on how to give students more rights over their research and intellectual property, promote collaborative spaces for entrepreneurs and students to meet, integrate entrepreneurship into university curriculum, identify ways to award students academic credit for starting a business and remove cost barriers to student entrepreneurship. Read the announcement at: https://governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/newsarticle?articleId=12468.

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