RIEPC takes another pass at planning the future

THE MET SCHOOL arranges internships for its students, a strategy the RIEPC supports. Above, sophomore Edwin Nunez works with Sunthar Anandarajam at Atrion Networking. /
THE MET SCHOOL arranges internships for its students, a strategy the RIEPC supports. Above, sophomore Edwin Nunez works with Sunthar Anandarajam at Atrion Networking. /

When the R.I. Economic Policy Council published “A Rhode Island Economic Strategy: 10 Ways to Succeed without Losing Our Soul” in 2001, the public/private nonprofit threw down the gauntlet in front of the state’s leaders. The document challenged Rhode Island to make substantive progress on initiatives with the potential to yank the state out of a moribund industrial-age past and into the information-age economy of the future.

Six years later, the RIEPC has decided that the state has made good on enough of the initial 10 items that the time has come to create a new list. It used its most recent quarterly meeting, at the agency’s new Gordon Street offices in South Providence, to start polishing that list.

The new plan covers a few basic themes, such as improving education, revitalizing the state with a strong sense of the built and natural environments, and connecting more fully with the dynamic, high-wage job environment in the Boston area. The final version is expected to be presented at the RIEPC’s December quarterly meeting.

Executive Director Christopher “Kip” Bergstrom believes there is reason for optimism about taking on new initiatives. Just look at results from the previous list, he said.

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To help implement the first two points, for example – “develop economic niches based on place” and “nurture vibrant, authentic, walkable places” – the council worked with municipalities, The Nature Conservancy and Chambers of Commerce to form the Blackstone Valley Partnership, which aims to promote better land use in that region.

For the council’s initiative to “refocus higher education on technology,” Bergstrom and his staff were involved in the founding of Rhode Island Software Association, which is now the Tech Collective. The council co-wrote grants for the fledgling organization, which has since received Governor’s Workforce Board grants.

Looking forward, one of the most important issues is the extension of the runway at T.F. Green Airport, said Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, who co-chairs the council. “I think it’s important for us – from a policy standpoint – to stay on top of that because we’ve got to get that to a conclusion,” he said. It remains one of the as-yet unfinished initiatives from 2001, although the GoGreen Alliance was created to help focus the expansion plans.

But while flights are important, high-speed trains are just as integral to the growth of the New York-Boston “super region.” A central rail with branches to Manchester, N.H., Worcester and Springfield, Mass., is essential for an interstate work force and technology bridge, said Bergstrom.

Other initiatives focus on work force development and education.

“We increasingly have kids who can actually take the algebra tests, but as soon … they actually have to understand that problem and create the answer, they can’t do it,” said Peter McWalters, commissioner of R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

A need for practical knowledge led to the new initiative that seeks to expand “experiential learning/problem solving opportunities.” Bergstrom cited movements toward work-related learning – much like internship programs at The Met School – as being a step toward a higher-quality work force and a way to keep Rhode Island students in state.

The new goals are “more ambitious, so they may take longer,” said Bergstrom, up to 10 to 15 years to reach the same level of completion as the 2001 initiatives, although the EPC won’t be the organization bringing them to fruition.

“We do the conceptual design and help put the system together, help identify who the right organization and leader is to run it,” Bergstrom said. “And then we slowly back out.” •

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