Talent Ready Utah grants awarded to create workers for high-demand, high wage-jobs

The Utah Department of Work- force Services has announced $1.8 million in grants to better meet the state’s skilled workforce needs. Talent Ready Utah grants are designed to strengthen collaboration among industry, education and economic development leaders to create talent pipelines for high-demand, high-wage occupations.

“Solving Utah’s workforce needs will take creativity and collaboration,” said Jon Pierpont, executive director of the Department of Workforce Services. “The grant winners we are announcing today have demonstrated true collaboration between industry and education to solve a workforce need. We are looking forward to seeing their success grow over the next year.”

Talent Ready Utah supports the Gov. Gary Herbert’s strategy for a qualified workforce in creating a public and post-secondary education system that is more responsive to industry needs, Pierpont said. Key initiatives focus on increasing the number of employers who invest in providing high-quality, work-based learning opportunities and by developing a pipeline of talent. Talent Ready Utah grants support the development of these partnerships between industry and education.

Talent Ready Utah grants are administered through the Department of Workforce Services with state funds. The 2018 Talent Ready Utah grant recipients, their planned use of the money and training sites are:

Bridgerland Technical College, $225,000. Develop advanced work-based learning and hands-on labs for controls engineering and automation manufacturing to train students in remote locations as well as onsite at industry partner locations to upskill incumbent workers. Utah State University; Box Elder, Cache Logan City and Rich school districts.

Dixie State University, $115,500. Develop and expand pipeline of students and talent to feed the emerging biotechnology sector in southwestern Utah. Southern Utah University, Washington County School District.

Mountainland Technical College $245,000. Develop marketing campaign to raise awareness of Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, education and career pathways leading to increased enrollment leading to high-growth, high-wage jobs. All eight campuses of the Utah System of Technical Colleges, Utah State Board of Education, Utah State University, Snow College and Salt Lake Community College.

Mountainland Technical College, $100,000. Develop AAS degree to meet new industry requirements and increase capacity by adding simulation lab and anatomical table for additional operatory space. Utah Valley University; Alpine, Provo, Nebo, South Summit and Wasatch school districts.

Ogden-Weber Technical College, $200,000. Develop youth apprenticeship program model beginning with industrial automation maintenance to replicate across all of their high-wage, high-demand programs. Weber State University; Ogden and Weber school districts.

Uintah Basin Technical College, $100,000. Create Healthcare Simulation Education Center at Roosevelt campus to increase capacity to respond to projected increase in demand for allied health workers in rural Utah.

University of Utah, $200,000. Replicate and expand the successful Utah Neurodiversity Workforce Program education to employment pathway for neuro-diverse STEM students in northern, central and southern Utah. Utah State University, Utah Valley University and Dixie State University.

Utah Technology Council, $245,000. Establish Utah’s first comprehensive apprenticeship program in the tech industry to include pre-apprenticeship, junior apprenticeship and full apprenticeship opportunities. Salt Lake Community College; Utah Valley University; Canyons, Alpine and Nebo school districts.

Utah Valley University, $200,000. Expand Diesel Tech Pathways program in the Mountainland Region and Tooele Mountainland Technical College. Tooele Technical College and Alpine School District.

Weber State University $200,000. Enhance career pathways with stackable cred-entials and internships for high-wage, high-demand jobs in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Ogden-Weber Technical College; Davis Technical College; Ogden and Weber school districts.