Message From Acting Assistant Secretary Matt S. Erskine

May 2013 Newsletter

Dear friends,

President Obama's inclusion of the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) in his FY14 budget proposal will help accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing and create jobs in communities across the country. The goal is simple—reward communities that demonstrate their plans to attract and expand manufacturing in their area using targeted investments in infrastructure, research, and workforce training. This effort will help put more Americans back to work—a major priority for the administration. This issue of Innovate@EDA includes information on IMCP and a great Q&A by Jane Oates, who heads the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, an agency that invests to bring training to the people, localities, and industries that most need it. One of those industries is green technology, and we highlight here a very productive investment EDA made with Delaware’s Energy House, which is providing students and workers with hands-on skills they need to succeed in today’s economy.

Happy reading!

Putting Americans to Work — Q&A: Making the United States a Magnet for Job Creation

May 2013 Newsletter

In April 2009, President Obama nominated Jane Oates to join the leadership team at the Department of Labor. Confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training in June 2009, she leads the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) in its mission to design and deliver high-quality training and employment programs for our nation’s workers. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Oates served as executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and senior advisor to Governor Jon S. Corzine. Ms. Oates also served for nearly a decade as senior policy advisor for Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, where she worked on major workforce initiatives, including the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

Assistant Secretary Oates recently answered some questions about the administration’s efforts to prepare American workers, especially women, for jobs in growing industries, and the successful collaborations her agency has undertaken in partnership with EDA and other federal agencies.

Highlight: Applications Sought for Make it in America Challenge

May 2013 Newsletter

Initiative Encourages Businesses to Bring Production Back to the United States or Expand Domestic Operations

The deadline to submit an application is May 31, 2013. For information on how to apply, click here.

The Obama administration made funding available for the Make it in America Challenge to encourage foreign and domestic businesses to build and/or expand their operations in the United States.

Spotlight: President’s FY14 Budget Strengthens EDA’s Capacity to Support Local and Regional Job Growth

May 2013 Newsletter

Targeted Investments in American Manufacturing, Infrastructure, and Exports

The full Department of Commerce FY 2014 budget request can be found here (PDF).

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s fiscal year 2014 budget request supports President Obama’s plan for an economy built to last with crucial investments in advanced manufacturing, innovation, trade promotion and enforcement, and research and development.

Success Story: EDA-Supported “Energy House” in Delaware Provides Training to Workers in a Growing Sector

May 2013 Newsletter

In his State of the Union message to Congress in February, President Obama emphasized the importance of worker training to meeting the needs of today’s economy and to ensuring America’s competitiveness. An EDA-supported training facility that opened last year at Delaware Technical and Community College’s campus in Georgetown, Delaware, is an excellent example of the long-term investments that are being made to support the president’s goal.

Energy House, designed to resemble an actual residence, serves as an educational lab where students can learn about innovative, energy-efficient technologies and renewable materials. In addition to the standard array of living room, kitchen, bedroom, and household appliances, there are also two state-of-the-art classrooms, a conference room, and see-through wall galleries that demonstrate the technologies and materials used in the building’s construction. Cutting-edge green technologies—such as solar systems, wind power generation equipment, a living green roof, and geothermal options—are an integral part of the building’s construction.

Investing in Manufacturing

May 2013 Newsletter

In February, President Obama proposed a one-time, $1 billion investment to launch a network of 15 manufacturing innovation institutes across the country. Leveraging the strengths of a particular region, each institute will bring together businesses, universities and community colleges, and government to co-invest in the development of world-leading manufacturing technologies and capabilities that U.S.-based manufacturers can apply in production.

In August 2012, a pilot institute was launched in Youngstown, Ohio, with a $45 million funding commitment from five federal agencies, led by the Department of Defense. The winning partnership of firms and universities from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia was one of 12 teams that applied.