SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island Research Foundation and Polaris MEP have received a $3.9 million federal Good Jobs Challenge grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to support the local entities’ Ocean Tech Works initiative.
The federal commerce department announced the funding on Tuesday, distributing $25 million in total to eight grantees to support high-quality, locally led workforce training programs that create a pathway for workers to be placed into good-paying jobs. Ocean Tech Works is the only New England-based initiative that received funding from the Good Jobs Challenge program.
“Building off its previous success, the Good Jobs Challenge is expanding into more communities across the country with a focus on industries that will define the 21st century economy,” Former Rhode Island Gov. and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo said in a statement. “These investments will train American workers for industries of the future, empower them with the tools they need to secure good-paying jobs, and lift up regional communities that have too often been overlooked or left behind.”
U.S. Commerce says Ocean Tech Works will support workforce development in ocean robotics, sensors and materials industries in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. The program’s goal is to meet the demands of ocean-based technology companies and their extensive supply chains within the region, the commerce department says.
Industry-driven training programs in advanced manufacturing, with a particular focus on advanced materials and robotics will be developed and implemented by Ocean Tech Works, U.S. Commerce says, and support underemployed or unemployed individuals.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.