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Utah funds $3.4 million in grants for workforce development

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:

GRANTEEREGIONPROJECTPARTNERS
BioUtah ($193K)Northern UtahMedical Innovations Pathways - developing curriculum and marketing for high school and adult pathways to the medical manufacturing fieldGranite School District, SLCC
Davis Applied Technology College ($190K)Northern UtahMobile Welding Training Center - develop mobile training lab and create capacity for 120 new training slots
Dixie Applied Technology College ($100K)Southern UtahDiesel Technology Expansion & Pathway to Employment - expand capacity for high school and adult learnersWashington School District
Granite School District ($193K)Northern UtahGranite 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 endorsementsSUU
Nebo School District ($193K)Northern UtahSystemic IT pathway to develop STEM pipeline - high school STEM ambassadors mentor elementary students; students participate with school helpdesks
Northern Utah Curriculum Consortium ($254K)Northern UtahNorthern Utah Pathway to Employment (NU-Path) - helping underemployed adults become licensed teachersWSU, 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 UtahMachine Utah - expand number of employers offering internships
Ogden Weber Applied Technology College ($193K)Northern UtahNorthern Utah Aerospace Pathways (NUAP) - expanding number of high schools, teachers and students in programOgden School District
Salt Lake Community College ($193K)Northern UtahUtah Diesel Technician Pathway (UDTP) - marketing program and opening up slots for high school students and adult learnersJordan School District, Canyons School District
Snow College ($134K)Central UtahStrengthening Local Farms and the Rural Economy through Agricultural Mechanics - develop curriculum for high school studentsCentral Region CTE Pathways (Juab, SD North Sanpete, South Sanpete, Millard, Tintic)
South Sanpete School District ($74K)Central UtahTri District Pathway Initiative
Southern Utah University ($99K)Southern UtahR2D2Careers! (Robotics to Development to Careers) - train high school teachers and create a career pathway for high school studentsIron School District
Southwest Applied Technology College ($128K)Southern UtahCoding & Web Development Pathways for Southern UtahIron, Beaver, Kane and Garfield School Districts
Thunder Ridge Elementary ($55K)Central UtahSeed to STEM Green HouseJuab, 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 learnersBATC, OWATC, DATC, SLCC, SUU, TACT, USU Eastern, WSU
Utah State University – Moab ($145K)Southern UtahCareer and Technical EducationGrand School District
Utah Valley University ($241K)Northern UtahCareer and College Pathway Health Sciences Partnership - develop health care pathway program for high school students and adult learners, as well as training for teachersMATC, Nebo, Provo and Wasatch School Districts
Weber School District ($200K)Northern Utah3D Printing and CNC Program Alignment
Weber State University ($177K)Northern UtahConcept Center Internship ProgramOWATC
Women Tech Council ($300K)Northern Utah
Southern Utah
SheTech - Expand SheTech to 2 Franchise locations (WSU, DSU), offering certifications, internships, mentoringUVU, 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:

  1. Increase economic cluster connectivity and educational alignment
  2. Respond to industry identified skill gaps
  3. Enhance the role of the regional institutions in economic development
  4. 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.

Media Inquiries

Trisha Dugovic
Communications Director
801.646.4779