County getting WIRED grant

Yuma County, in conjunction with Pima, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties, has been awarded $5 million by the U.S. Department of Labor to help meet demand for a high-tech labor force.

The region is one of 13 to receive the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) award, Chris Camacho, Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp. (GYEDC) president and chief executive officer, announced on Friday. The money will be given out over a three-year period.

The grant will be used to promote engineering technology, information technology and entrepreneurship in coordination with the region's schools, community colleges and universities.

The southern Arizona partnership, Innovation Frontier of Arizona, will involve economic development firms including GYEDC and Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities. Other partners are local work force development agencies, Northern Arizona University-Yuma, University of Arizona and local community colleges and businesses, Camacho said.

"The counties of Arizona's Innovation Frontier will implement talent development programs to meet existing aerospace and defense industry needs," said Emily Stover DeRocco, assistant secretary of labor for employment and training. "With WIRED, this region has the opportunity to grow industries that will help secure the future of the young people and workers in the four-county region."

The Labor Department launched WIRED in late 2005 with a competition among the nation's governors. In February 2006, 13 regions were awarded a total of $195 million to transform their economies. In January 2007, 13 additional regions were presented awards to reposition their economies. Last week's announcement launches the third generation of selected regions.

"The WIRED program recognizes that local economies often transcend geographical boundaries," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "These grants are catalysts to mobilizing the diverse array of stakeholders in a community to focus on developing the human talent that will be key to any successful regional economic plan."

WIRED's Generation III regions also include five counties in central New Jersey; 25 cities and counties in southeastern Virginia; 15 counties in central Kentucky; 18 counties in southeastern Mississippi; 12 counties in south central and southwest Wisconsin; 36 counties in south central and western Minnesota; 14 counties in southeast Missouri; 10 counties in south central Kansas; eight counties in central New Mexico; eight counties in south central Idaho; seven counties in greater Portland and Salem, Ore.; and five counties in Washington's Pacific Mountain region.

---

Sun Staff Writer Joyce Lobeck contributed to this report. She can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.