Salt Lake Community College is part the latest round of 12
“communities,” or states, selected to take part in the federal Investing in
Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative, a U.S. Commerce
Department-led project designed to “accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing
in communities nationwide by supporting the development of long-term economic
development strategies.”
The Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative
(UAMMI) was one among the second round of “manufacturing communities” that will
benefit from more than $1 billion in federal funds that will fuel “targeted”
grants for participants. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced the
first 12 designees in May 2014. “An IMCP designation is an important signal to
potential investors that these communities are a good place to spend their
money, and this is smart government at work,” Pritzker said.
For the past 50 years Utah’s so-called Advanced Composite
Cluster has grown to serve national and international markets through its
highly specialized manufacturing capacity in advanced composites materials and
products for aerospace, outdoor recreation and equipment and transportation
equipment industries. The UAMMI, using a chain of “local solution centers” and
led by the University of Utah, involves seven colleges and universities,
including SLCC, seven state and local economic development groups and nine
industry partners. One center, SLCC’s Westpointe Campus, will “advance as a
comprehensive solution center for manufacturing technology training and
entrepreneurship advancement,” said Karen Gunn, SLCC Associate Provost of Economic
Development and Business Partnerships. The College also offers a Manufacturing
Engineering Technology program that trains students to be composites
technicians.
“This important designation will promote communities taking
a strategic, comprehensive approach to long-term operational improvement of
manufacturing activities,” said Nicole Omer, SLCC Office of Sponsored Projects
director. “The Utah Initiative (UAMMI) involves deep relationships between the
public and private sector and is designed to have a substantial impact on
developing critical manufacturing workforce infrastructure.”
In addition to having access to federal funds, the
designated manufacturing communities selected to take part in the IMCP also
receive a dedicated federal liaison to help navigate all available federal
resources. The UAMMI and other participants also receive increased global
visibility via a government website that is accessible to prospective private
foreign and domestic investors investigating manufacturing communities’
“competitive attributes.”
