SSTI Digest

Online-education provider Coursera has announced a new program that allows governments and nonprofits focused on workforce development to curate massive open online course (MOOCs) that align with labor market needs, and then make these courses instantly available to their constituents. Initial partners of Coursera for Governments & Nonprofits include the United States and six other nations:  Egypt, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Singapore.

In the U.S., Coursera will partner with the Institute for Veterans & Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF) to train transitioning service members, military spouses, and veterans in IT skills. Additionally, the University of New England will collaborate with TechHire grantee Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc., to offer accelerated online-offline learning programs to citizens across Maine.

With job growth for middle-skill level jobs slowing, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Austin-based nonprofit Center for Public Policy Priorities studied the nation’s best practices and surveyed regional workforce boards in Texas to determine how communities there are addressing the challenge. Their findings are detailed in the report, Regional Talent Pipelines: Collaborating with Industry to Build Opportunities in Texas, released last month. For a region to succeed in their workforce development efforts, the study states three tasks must be accomplished: identify growth through an industry cluster analysis, convene a sector partnership, and create and strengthen career pathways.

SSTI’s latest Tech Talkin’ Govs installment excerpts TBED highlights from governors’ speeches in Alaska, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada and Rhode Island. Education and workforce are focal points in this latest round of the state of the state addresses, as they have been in the two previous posts. Varying issues are factored into the speeches, from the $3 billion fiscal gap in Alaska to the proposed free college tuition in Rhode Island.

Alaska

Gov. Bill Walker, facing a $3 billion fiscal gap, delivered his third state of the state address to the State Legislature on Jan. 18 in Juneau:

“Here is the hard truth. Denial doesn't make the problem go away. Hope doesn't pay the bills. We need to pass a plan to stabilize our fiscal future. And we need it now.

“We must do a better job of preparing our youth for the challenges of the future. To meet this challenge, we need to rethink our entire system of public education. Alaskans must be at the heart of this effort.

Earlier in the month, Maryland Gov. Lawrence Hogan announced the 2017 Maryland Jobs Initiative, a legislative package that would eliminate all state taxes for 10 years for new manufacturing employers that create jobs in high unemployment areas, as well as incentives for current employers who expand their workforce in those areas. The package also includes $1 million for a program for employers to invest in employee training to keep their skills up to date, $3 million in funding for cyber job training grants, and expansion of an existing program that would make tax credits accessible to investors in cybersecurity startups. Released earlier this week, the governor’s budget recommends funding levels for a variety of tech-based economic development programs, initiatives and tax credits.

In his FY 2018 budget proposal, the governor is recommending:

While some researchers contend that university-industry collaboration may corrupt the academic ideal of open sciences and reduce academic productivity, researchers from the London Business School (LBS) and University of Southern California (USC) found that university-industry research collaborations – in certain situations – can lead to more publications but fewer patents than similar academic studies without industry partners. These findings would indicate that such collaboration can actually stimulate open science and increase academic productivity, rather than weaken it.

Approximately 6.2 percent of U.S. workers (nearly 8.6 million people) were employed in STEM jobs in May 2015, according to STEM Occupations: Past, Present, And Future from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  Of those nearly 8.6 million people, nearly half (45 percent) are employed in computer occupations. In addition, seven of the 10 largest STEM occupations were related to computers and information systems including the largest STEM occupation – applications software developers (750,000 people).  STEM occupations provide nearly double the wages of non-STEM occupations.

SSTI has analyzed more recently released state budgets for TBED-related initiatives, and this week we present findings from our review of AZ, GA, IA, IN, UT and VA.   

Arizona

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s proposed $9.8 billion FY 2018 budget would support R&D infrastructure at the state’s three public universities (University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University) through the newly-announced University Capital Investment Program. This program would enable universities to use the transaction privilege tax revenues that they generate for as much as $1 billion in bonding for new research and development infrastructure, including deferred maintenance projects.

Education is a major emphasis of the governor’s proposed budget, and while the majority of funds go toward teachers and schools more broadly, Ducey also proposes $5 million in new investments to help connect rural schools to high-speed internet, as well as $200,000 to support a new statewide computer science and coding initiative.

Tuesday’s ceremonial groundbreaking on a new building in Philadelphia marks the foundation of a new collaboration between a number of players that are hoping to accelerate the innovation community in the city. University City Science Center (UCSC), an SSTI member that has operated in Philadelphia for 54 years, is partnering with the Boston-area Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) as well as Wexford Science and Technology on a new space that will create a stronger group of serial entrepreneurs and increase the level of investment in the community, said UCSC President and CEO Stephen Tang. The new building allows the Science Center to expand its headquarters and triple the size of its “entrepreneur’s clubhouse”, the Quorum.

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.

Colorado

Gov. John Hickenlooper gave his annual state of the state address last Thursday, focusing on infrastructure needs – notably roads, but also tech needs:

“We need a comprehensive focus on infrastructure that supports not just transportation, but also broadband, education, healthcare, and our environment.

 “Today, I’m announcing the creation of a broadband office to help us get from 70% to 85% coverage by the time we leave office and 100% by 2020.

In an attempt to make college more affordable and accelerate the number of students completing degree programs in Rhode Island, Gov. Gina Raimondo has proposed a new program guaranteeing two years of free college for Rhode Island students. The program, Rhode Island’s Promise, would cover the entire cost of tuition and mandatory fees for full-time students who qualify for in-state tuition earning an associate’s degree and graduating on time from the Community College of Rhode Island. At Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island, the scholarship would cover tuition and fees for a student’s junior and senior years.

The governor’s office noted in its press release that there is an immediate need for more Rhode Islanders to obtain a higher degree in their education, and projects that more than 70 percent of jobs in the state will require a post-secondary degree in the coming years.

The Department of Homeland Security has amended its regulations surrounding its discretionary parole authority in order to increase and enhance entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation in the U.S. The final rule, which will go into effect July 17, adds new provisions that can be used on a case-by-case basis with respect to foreign entrepreneurs of start-up entities who can demonstrate a potential for rapid business growth and job creation, and thus provide a significant public benefit to the U.S. That potential could be indicated by, among other things, the receipt of significant capital investment from U.S. investors with established records of successful investments, or by obtaining significant awards or grants from certain federal, state or local government entities. If granted, the parole would provide a temporary initial stay of up to 30 months (which may be extended by up to an additional 30 months) to facilitate the applicant's ability to oversee and grow his or her start-up entity in the United States.

The Angel Resource Institute (ARI) is looking for angels and angel groups to provide data for the 2016 Annual Halo Report to be presented at the Angel Capital Association’s Summit in April. ARI aggregates and analyzes data for reports regarding investment trends and opportunities. Data can be uploaded directly to the database, or users may download the ARI spreadsheet and send it to ARI. To be included in the 2016 annual report, data must be submitted no later than Jan. 25. More information can be found here.