Monday, July 25, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Entrepreneurship Training Available
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DELTA REGIONAL AUTHORITY Growing Entrepreneurs at Home in the Delta Eight State Entrepreneurship Training Kicks Off in Missouri Registration Open for All DRA States CLARKSDALE – Delta entrepreneurs will receive first-rate training to start their own businesses announced the Delta Regional Authority in partnership with the Douglas C. Greene Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at Southeast Missouri State University, Small Business Administration and the Delta Leadership Network. “With nearly all net job creation in this country taking place in firms less than five years old, we know that entrepreneurs are still the primary engine of job creation in the United States,” said Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chairman Chris Masingill. “The Delta Regional Authority is proud to partner with this entrepreneurship train-the-trainer series to support home-grown Delta entrepreneurs. I urge interested participants who wish to start microenterprise development programs in their communities to take advantage of this opportunity to grow tomorrow’s business leaders.” “Entrepreneurship is a priority of the Delta Regional Authority and it has long been a pillar of the Delta’s hard-working communities,” Alternate Federal Co-Chairman of the Delta Regional Authority Mike Marshall said. “I look forward to meeting participants in each state who will return home to help train other entrepreneurs realize their business plans, boosting local economies.” About the Training Series: Each of the eight Delta states will host a symposium to build entrepreneurial capacity, especially in rural communities, and train participants to lead entrepreneurship trainings in their own communities. Each session will also include information about local resources to help communities support entrepreneurs and the start-up of new businesses. More than 100 trainers are expected to participate in the series. They are projected to train at least 500 entrepreneurs to start businesses of their own. The series will kick-off on July 6-7 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Participate: Interested participants should visit Events at www.operationjumpstart.biz for more information and to register for a session in their home state. The session is free to the first 35 registered participants in each state who are from DRA counties. The cost is $175 for all other participants. Upcoming Entrepreneurship Trainings -July 6-7, Poplar Bluff, Missouri -July 20-22, Grenada, Mississippi -August 9-11, Harrisburg, Illinois -August 16-18, Jackson, Tennessee -August 23-25, Little Rock, Arkansas -August 30-September 1, Gilbertsville, Kentucky -September 7-9, Eufala, Alabama -September 14-16, Rayville, Louisiana The Delta Regional Authority is a federal-state partnership that serves 252 counties and parishes in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Chris Masingill, appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the DRA’s Federal Co-Chairman, along with the governors of the eight states comprise the Authority’s board. For more information, please visit:www.dra.gov. ### | ||||
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Obama Administrations Announces Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 20, 2011
Obama Administration Announces Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge
to Promote Regional Growth and Competitiveness
Unprecedented initiative to bolster economic growth leverages resources of 16 federal agencies to create jobs and foster economic prosperity
Washington, D.C. – To accelerate innovation-fueled job creation and global competitiveness, today the Obama Administration announced a $33 million Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge, an unprecedented initiative to spur economic growth through public-private partnerships in at least 20 regions around the country.
The Challenge leverages existing resources from 16 federal agencies and will award funds to regions that demonstrate the existence of high-growth industries that support a wide range of economic and workforce development activities.
The Obama Administration is committed to smarter use of existing federal resources to foster regional innovation in support of sustainable economic prosperity. Strong industry clusters –like the Research Triangle in North Carolina or Silicon Valley in California – promote robust economic ecosystems and the development of a skilled workforce, both of which are critical to long-term regional success.
“Regional innovation clusters bring together the knowledge and financial resources that America needs to compete in the global economy,” said National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling. “The Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge will help regional innovation clusters produce the next generation of innovative products and drive sustainable economic growth and job creation."
“Strong regional economies are vital to creating jobs and advancing American competitiveness,” said Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes. “The Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge is one way we are leveraging government resources to support the public-private partnerships that drive economic prosperity in urban and rural communities.”
The competition offers a total of $33 million in funding from three federal agencies and technical assistance from 13 additional agencies to support the advancement of at least 20 competitively-selected industry clusters. The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration will invest up to $20 million for technical skills training; the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration will invest up to $10 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance funds; and the Small Business Administration will invest up to $3 million in technical assistance.
As noted in the federal funding opportunity published today, the Challenge targets high-growth clusters from rural, urban and multi-jurisdictional regions across the nation with strengths in various industries. Investments in each winning cluster will aim to drive additional private capital from an array of sources, including foundations, financial institutions, corporations and other private-sector partners.
Applicants will be considered based on their ability to demonstrate a focus on measurable outcomes, such as:
· Achieving sustainable economic growth in the region;
· Augmenting business formation, especially of small businesses, and leveraging existing businesses assets;
· Advancing commercialization of federal and private research;
· Increasing exports;
· Developing a skilled workforce through outreach, training, and the creation of career pathways, and;
· Integrating historically underserved businesses and communities into the economic activities of the cluster.
Strong regional clusters grow from dynamic public-private partnerships that bring together business leaders, government officials, universities, non-profits and other strategic partners to help regions capitalize on shared strengths to enhance the local economy, create jobs, and compete globally.
The deadline to apply to the Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge is July 7, 2011. Details on the application process are available here or
The following federal agencies are collaborating to support this competition: U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, International Trade Administration, Minority Business Development Agency, and National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership; U.S. Department of Defense; U.S. Department of Education; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; U.S. Department of Labor; U.S. Department of Transportation; U.S. Department of Treasury; Environmental Protection Agency; National Science Foundation; and Small Business Administration. The Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge is part of the Obama Administration’s Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative, an interagency, place-based effort coordinated by the White House.
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