Partnership with the California Space Authority

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Kim Smith
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Partnership with the California Space Authority

The Panel identified nine funding priority industries through its 2006/07 Strategic Plan. Manufacturing and high technology are two key industries that have been deemed vital to California's economy. ETP continues to work with industry leaders in an effort to reach companies in need of training to remain globally competitive. One example of high-tech manufacturing industry that is playing a key role in California's growing economy is the Space industry.

According to the California Space Authority (CSA), an organization that promotes the space industry within California, California space enterprise is a "$20 billion business, enjoying 24 percent of the global space enterprise market. It boasts a total employment impact of over 250,000 jobs, with the average industry salary being over $55,000. California space enterprise…has a total economic impact of $120 billion."

According to CSA, 42,000 aerospace companies and suppliers are located in California, as well as the facilities of the major aerospace companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. In an effort to establish relationships with key space industry employers, ETP has developed a strong working partnership with CSA.

Through CSA-sponsored marketing events and seminars, numerous companies within the space industry have been linked to ETP training funds. For example, Space Systems/Loral, Inc. (SS/L), which designs, builds and tests satellites, contacted ETP as a result of a presentation at a CSA event. SS/L, founded in 1957 and located in Palo Alto, ultimately was awarded a $1,029,000 contract to train 1,100 California workers in skills necessary to remain competitive and move the company into new markets globally. This is a rapidly growing company that is creating new jobs - 400 new workers have already been hired this year, and the company will add another 700 in the near future.

CSA won a 3 year, $15 million grant from the US Department of Labor for the WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) program, which will allow them to reach out to California aerospace suppliers to establish job training programs that will increase their productivity and enhance the workforce of the State.

ETP has pledged $ 2 million in job training funds to assist in CSA's efforts under the WIRED grant. CSA and ETP will work closely to provide state-of-the-art job training to California's space industry.

"Training is extremely important to space companies, and so CSA considers the strategic alliance between the California Space Authority and the State Employment Training Panel a critical success factor in California space enterprise competitiveness for the 21st Century," said the Honorable Andrea Seastrand, Executive Director of the California Space Authority.

Space industry companies seeking funding for job training can start the process by contacting Charles Lundberg, ETP's Economic Development Director, at 916-327-5261 or clundberg@etp.ca.gov.

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