Utah has joined two other states and Puerto Rico in forming a new Policy Academy designed to help grow and strengthen manufacturing in their states. The other two states are Kentucky and New Jersey.
State teams began meeting last week in Washington, D.C., with policy experts to develop or further refine strategies to bolster manufacturing. Each team includes representatives from the participants’ governor’s office, state economic development department, Manufacturing Extension Partnership center, manufacturing trade association and other manufacturing centers.
“Manufacturing is a vital component of the economy in each state and the success of the manufacturing sector is imperative for the country’s strength and competitiveness,” said Dan Berglund, president and CEO of Ohio-based State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), a nonprofit which is helping to coordinate the academy. “We are looking forward to supporting the states as they strengthen their manufacturing base and build on their success. We expect that each of the participants will develop new initiatives or expand on those already in place to advance their manufacturing agenda.”
The year-long Policy Academy will guide the states through a planning and implementation process to identify relevant manufacturing-related partnerships and policies to move their economic development strategies forward. Each participant will receive customized assistance through access to national experts and collaboration with colleagues in other states. They may choose to focus on addressing skills gaps, accelerating startup growth, expanding their market, improving their supply chain or other priorities the state teams identify.
The Policy Academy is being coordinated by SSTI and the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) with support from the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) based at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). SSTI works to strengthen initiatives to create a better future through science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, the organization said in a release announcing the academy. CREC works to provide policy makers from around the world with the information and technical assistance they need to formulate and execute innovative, regional, job-creating economic strategies. NIST MEP’s mission is to enhance the productivity and technological performance of U.S. manufacturing, which it does through 51 MEP centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and more than 1,300 manufacturing experts at over 400 service locations, providing any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources they need to succeed.
The four states were selected after a competitive application process. A second cohort for the academy is expected to be selected in 2019.