TUCSON, Ariz. – Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco today joined Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and leaders from the Southern Arizona business community for the region’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative kickoff event.
“Through WIRED, Southern Arizona’s workforce will capitalize on jobs created from recent growth in the aerospace-defense and information technology industries,” said DeRocco. “Collaboration among partners in business, education and workforce development will lead to new opportunities for workers to gain the skills needed to pursue high-paying careers in industries demanding well-prepared talent.”
WIRED is a national initiative that will help Southern Arizona address the problems of workforce skills gaps and worker shortages across industries. This goal will be accomplished by developing core curricula at local educational institutions that prepare students for careers in engineering, information technology and science. Career ladders will be developed and implemented within industries to provide roadmaps for workers seeking employment in high-tech fields. By providing career-focused education and skills development, the region will create a pool of workers who possess the skills required to pursue in-demand careers – an approach that can be applied to other high-tech industries showing the potential for growth within the region.
Southern Arizona’s Innovation Frontier WIRED partnership consists of more than 35 member organizations including representatives from: the workforce investment and economic development systems; local universities, community colleges and school districts; the business community; and local, state and federal government.
On June 20, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration named Southern Arizona one of 13 competitively selected regions that make up WIRED’s third generation. Launched in February 2006, WIRED is a major complement to the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative, with 39 regions now engaged in ongoing economic and talent development activities in parts of 31 states and Puerto Rico. For more information on the WIRED Initiative, visit www.doleta.gov/wired.
