SSTI Digest

While higher education remains a viable path to economic advancement, adults without a postsecondary degree are increasingly benefitting from non-degree certificates and certifications, according to a recent report. As automation and technological advances demand more skills from workers in the changing economy, Strada Education Network and Lumina Foundation partnered to determine the value and impact of the growing number of non-degree credentials. They found that certificates and certifications can stand as a beneficial stand-alone credential, leading to higher full-time employment rates and annual incomes, although the findings vary among occupations and there are gender gaps across all occupations. The report, Certified Value: When do Adults without Degrees Benefit from Earning Certificates and Certifications, is based on data from the Strada-Gallup Education Consumer Survey, using a subset of nearly 50,000 individuals aged 25-64 in the labor force who do not have postsecondary degrees and are not currently enrolled in college. It found that those who hold a certificate or certification are more likely to perceive themselves as marketable, lending credence to the…

As the states turn to tackling their budgets, governors are presenting their spending and revenue proposals, and SSTI continues to monitor these. Budget constraints and deficits are problems for governors in Connecticut and Illinois, and Connecticut’s governor is proposing expanding the sales tax base while focusing on loan forgiveness and clean energy. Education is on the agenda in Illinois where the governor is hoping to build prosperity through skills training and college affordability. And in New Hampshire, more money is being channeled to higher education initiatives, part of which could be funded by legalizing sports betting if the governor there gets his way. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont gave his first budget address, outlining his plan to address a looming budget deficit without raising the income tax as he promised on the campaign trail, and growing the state’s economy: “My sales tax reform would broaden the base so that digital goods are treated equally and more significantly that we are capturing a growing segment of the economy.  “Today, I’m inviting Connecticut businesses to step up and partner with me to help…

Reviewing another slate of governors’ state of the state and inaugural addresses reveals some recurring themes. With a focus on maintaining gains made since the Great Recession and increasing budgets, many governors are holding off on major new initiatives, but are proposing means to increase broadband access, diversify their economies, build renewable energy efforts, and increase their rainy day funds in case of an economic downturn. SSTI presents part 2 of our Tech Talkin’ Govs series, with coverage of governors in Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Follow along in the coming weeks as we continue to cover all of the governors’ addresses for 2019, bringing you excerpts of their words, promises and programs that touch on the innovation economy. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reiterated his goal of reaching 100 percent renewable energy in the state by 2040 and desire to expand broadband: “As Governor, my goal is to lead the statewide transition to a clean, sustainable, and growing economy. It is imperative for our climate, our security, our health, and our economic growth for all Coloradans. We will lead…

The ability of states to deliver the services promised to its residents relies on their fiscal soundness. With most states beginning their fiscal year in July, SSTI has reviewed the current fiscal standing for each state and here presents a snapshot of our findings. Most states ended their fiscal year with a surplus and continue to recover from the Great Recession, with a growing economy and job gains. However, they face continuing demands on their budgets, with expanded Medicaid payments and the growing opioid crisis confronting nearly every state. Such decisions affect the state’s ability to fund innovation efforts, from the amount of support available for higher education and STEM programs, to funding for entrepreneurship, and forging public private partnerships to strengthen innovation programming that the private sector cannot fully support. Our analysis found that some states that rely on the energy sector to fund their spending priorities continue to struggle, while others are already factoring in anticipated revenues as a result of new Supreme Court rulings involving gaming and online sales tax collections.

Declining enrollments, higher costs and limited state funding continue to challenge higher education institutions, and possible mergers continue to surface as an option to meeting those challenges. In Pennsylvania, a new study sponsored by the Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee identifies options to help ensure the sustainability of the State System of Higher Education, and mergers factor into those considerations. However, in Connecticut a plan to merge the state’s 12 community colleges into one was rejected last month by its regional accrediting authority, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The Connecticut merger plan was formulated as a way to save money for the struggling community colleges. But the plan was called unrealistic by NEASC, who voiced concerns that it could cause a disorderly environment for students and felt it was actually creating a new college and not just a substantive change. What the future holds for the colleges is uncertain, and the president of the Connecticut Board of Regents is considering closing one or more campuses or raising tuition. In order to more closely study the viability of…

SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs feature continues as governors across the country are wrapping up their state of the state addresses. We review each speech for comments relevant to the innovation economy, and bring you their words directly from their addresses. In this latest installment of Tech Talkin’ Govs, Arkansas is celebrating its low unemployment while Maine says it will focus on a commercialization bond and grow the workforce in part through a student debt relief program. Connecticut wants new goals for clean energy and Wyoming’s focus on economic diversification continues with the governor there calling for full funding for the ENDOW initiative.

Connecticut and Wisconsin both ended their protracted budget negotiations with the governors signing budgets in late September and late October. Faced with budget constraints and uncertainty about the spending plan, Connecticut’s funding for economic and community development is decreasing along with funding for the state’s MEP center and Manufacturing Supply Chain program, with no general funds provided for them in the second year of the biennium. Wisconsin appears to be maintaining its status quo on TBED-related initiatives and has increased funding to universities that increase enrollments for “high-demand” degree programs, making $5 million available on a competitive basis.

After training nearly 80 PhD scientists and engineers in the craft of policy making, the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) has awarded planning grants to nine other states to evaluate the potential to create a policy fellowship for scientists and engineers in their state capital.  The new one-year grant, which is administered by CCST and funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Simons Foundation, will support teams in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Washington as they work on feasibility studies and other strategic steps toward creating science fellowships in their state policy arenas. It is up to each state to design the fellowship that would work best in their state, whether that is a position in the legislature or another body. “We are nurturing that larger landscape between science and policy,” said Annie Morgan, program manager for the CCST science fellows program. Because each state has different needs, it will be up to the planning teams to determine how best to structure a fellowship in their individual states. The grant, which was capped at $25,000…

In the latest round of state budget proposals, TBED initiatives receive mixed reviews. Some governors are boosting funding while others in cash-strapped states are proposing cuts. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley’s FY 2018 budget would boost spending on education, provide government workers a cost of living adjusted raise, and remove the sales tax on groceries. Notable for technology-based economic development is $2.9 million for the Alabama Innovation Fund in FY 2018, an increase of 20.1 percent from FY 2017. The fund operates two programs: a renewal program, which helps support university high technology infrastructure, and a research program, which allocates funding for commercialization and university-industry partnerships.   Additionally, the Alabama Technology Network would receive $4.9 million in FY 2018, the same as it received in the previous fiscal year. Connecticut Faced with a $1.7 billion deficit, Gov. Dannel Malloy’s $20 billion FY 2018-2019 biennial budget includes little in the way of new funding. The state’s Department of Economic and Community Development would receive $29.9 million in FY 2018 and $29.3…

SSTI again presents its latest round of Tech Talkin’ Govs, where governors’ comments about TBED issues are excerpted from their state of the state and inaugural addresses. Today’s roundup includes STEM spending and workforce development in Idaho, education in Arizona, manufacturing in Connecticut and a nod to technological change in North Dakota, inaugural addresses from new governors in Vermont and Indiana, and more reports from governors who gave their addresses on the 10th. Next week the Digest will continue with Part II of Tech Talkin’ Govs featuring news from the next round of addresses. Vermont During the first week of January Gov. Phil Scott gave his inaugural address focusing on the state’s shrinking workforce and its implications to a joint session of the Vermont legislature. “From 2000 to 2010 the number of 25-45 year olds in Vermont decreased by 30,000… This is compounded by our shrinking workforce. Since 2010, we’ve lost 16,000 workers… and that downward trend continues. … But we literally cannot afford to ignore this issue anymore. We must have a laser-focus on attracting…

Ten Connecticut startups competed in a $10,000 pitch competition at CTNext last week, but the five-year-old state initiative finds itself the winner of a much higher-stakes appraisal. Gov. Dannel Malloy approved the FY 2017 state budget bill on June 2, which will make CTNext an independent organization with $67 million in bonding support. Among the powers assigned to the organization are managing an innovation-places program and maintaining a crowdfunding website, in addition to a broad array of activities geared toward promoting tech-based economic development in Connecticut. CTNext was created in 2011 under Gov. Malloy as an initiative within Connecticut Innovations to foster startups by improving the state's support network. The initiative has established a membership-based network of entrepreneurs and service providers, managed a commercialization voucher program through regional incubators, and hosted the Entrepreneur Innovation Award pitch competition. These activities could be seen as a precursor to preparing the companies for the venture capital programs operated by Connecticut Innovations. The budget bill significantly alters the programs…

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. The 17 signatories are: Gov. Jerry Brown (CA); Gov. Dannel Mallory (CT); Gov. Jack Markell (DE); Gov. David Ige (HI); Gov. Terry Branstad (IA); Gov. Charlie Baker (MA); Gov. Rick Snyder (MI); Gov. Mark Dayton (MN); Gov. Brian Sandoval (NV); Gov. Maggie Hassan (NH); Gov. Andrew Cuomo (NY); Gov. Kate Brown (OR); Gov. Tom Wolf (PA); Gov. Gina Raimondo (RI); Gov. Peter Shumlin (VT);  Gov. Terry…