Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership brings government, industry and education together through grant program
The Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership today announced the recipients of more than $3.4 million in grants. Each year the partnership awards grants to strengthen collaboration between education, industry and economic development leaders to better respond to the needs of regional and state-designated industry clusters.
“It is essential for Utah to build workforce development programs that align with the needs of employers,” said Jon Pierpont, executive director of Workforce Services. “With these funds we can target specific industries and education programs that directly benefit our labor force and economy.”
“The Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership enables us to make important investments in local industries and communities,” said Val Hale, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “Success requires a ‘big picture’ approach, and sustainable economic growth starts with education.”
“Education preparing students for careers in Utah’s growing industries is essential in order to meet our state’s workforce demands,” said Utah Commissioner of Higher Education David Buhler. “This year’s Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership grantees show the diverse workforce needs of various regions of the state. This program allows us to foster partnerships in key areas to improve the educational and economic outcomes for all Utahns.”
The grants are funded through the Department of Workforce Services. This year, the department also received $1 million from USA Funds to expand and replicate successful career pathway programs.
This year’s grant recipients are located throughout the state, involve multiple education partners in both public education and higher education, and align with several different industries. The 21 grant recipients for 2016 are listed below:
| GRANTEE | REGION | PROJECT | PARTNERS |
|---|---|---|---|
| BioUtah ($193K) | Northern Utah | Medical Innovations Pathways - developing curriculum and marketing for high school and adult pathways to the medical manufacturing field | Granite School District, SLCC |
| Davis Applied Technology College ($190K) | Northern Utah | Mobile Welding Training Center - develop mobile training lab and create capacity for 120 new training slots | |
| Dixie Applied Technology College ($100K) | Southern Utah | Diesel Technology Expansion & Pathway to Employment - expand capacity for high school and adult learners | Washington School District |
| Granite School District ($193K) | Northern Utah | Granite Technical Institute Utah Aerospace Pathways (GTI UAP) | SLCC |
| Jordan School District ($100K) | Northern Utah Southern Utah | STEM Endorsement/Industry Partnership (STEM-EIP) - 40 teachers to earn STEM endorsements | SUU |
| Nebo School District ($193K) | Northern Utah | Systemic IT pathway to develop STEM pipeline - high school STEM ambassadors mentor elementary students; students participate with school helpdesks | |
| Northern Utah Curriculum Consortium ($254K) | Northern Utah | Northern Utah Pathway to Employment (NU-Path) - helping underemployed adults become licensed teachers | WSU, Box Elder, Davis, Murray, Ogden, Rich, Weber, Cache, Morgan, North Summit, Park City, and Tooele School Districts |
| Northern Utah National Tooling & Machining Association ($53K) | Northern Utah | Machine Utah - expand number of employers offering internships | |
| Ogden Weber Applied Technology College ($193K) | Northern Utah | Northern Utah Aerospace Pathways (NUAP) - expanding number of high schools, teachers and students in program | Ogden School District |
| Salt Lake Community College ($193K) | Northern Utah | Utah Diesel Technician Pathway (UDTP) - marketing program and opening up slots for high school students and adult learners | Jordan School District, Canyons School District |
| Snow College ($134K) | Central Utah | Strengthening Local Farms and the Rural Economy through Agricultural Mechanics - develop curriculum for high school students | Central Region CTE Pathways (Juab, SD North Sanpete, South Sanpete, Millard, Tintic) |
| South Sanpete School District ($74K) | Central Utah | Tri District Pathway Initiative | |
| Southern Utah University ($99K) | Southern Utah | R2D2Careers! (Robotics to Development to Careers) - train high school teachers and create a career pathway for high school students | Iron School District |
| Southwest Applied Technology College ($128K) | Southern Utah | Coding & Web Development Pathways for Southern Utah | Iron, Beaver, Kane and Garfield School Districts |
| Thunder Ridge Elementary ($55K) | Central Utah | Seed to STEM Green House | Juab, North Sanpete |
| Utah Manufacturer's Association ($250K) | Northern Utah Central Utah Southern Utah Eastern Utah | Make Utah Manufacturing Your Future - increasing public awareness and training high school students and adult learners | BATC, OWATC, DATC, SLCC, SUU, TACT, USU Eastern, WSU |
| Utah State University – Moab ($145K) | Southern Utah | Career and Technical Education | Grand School District |
| Utah Valley University ($241K) | Northern Utah | Career and College Pathway Health Sciences Partnership - develop health care pathway program for high school students and adult learners, as well as training for teachers | MATC, Nebo, Provo and Wasatch School Districts |
| Weber School District ($200K) | Northern Utah | 3D Printing and CNC Program Alignment | |
| Weber State University ($177K) | Northern Utah | Concept Center Internship Program | OWATC |
| Women Tech Council ($300K) | Northern Utah Southern Utah | SheTech - Expand SheTech to 2 Franchise locations (WSU, DSU), offering certifications, internships, mentoring | UVU, WSU, DSU, STEM AC, Mountainland Region CTE |
About the Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership
The partnership is a collaboration between the Department of Workforce Services, the Utah System of Higher Education and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
The program is designed to strengthen collaboration between education, industry, and economic development by focusing on four objectives:
- Increase economic cluster connectivity and educational alignment
- Respond to industry identified skill gaps
- Enhance the role of the regional institutions in economic development
- Promote regional stewardship of grantees’ contributions to workforce development
For more information about the Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership, visit https://jobs.utah.gov/department/ucap.html.
