SDSU Receives $1.67 Million Jobs Accelerator Grant

Statement

I announced last month that San Diego State University (SDSU) was awarded a joint grant of $1.67 million for their Jobs Accelerator program from the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the Small Business Administration and the Employment Training Administration (ETA). SDSU is set to receive $ 1,121,601 from ETA, $400,000 from EDA, and $149,999 from SBA.

Our number one priority is job creation. Our region has been in dire need of this type of investment in our economy and our students. In a time when school and local budgets are being cut to the bone, this grant will go a long way to creating the good paying jobs we need, training the workforce, and help us move into a new green energy economy.

The SDSU proposal identifies the renewable energy industry as a "cluster" for development, demonstration, deployment and workforce training. The SDSU Brawley Campus in the Imperial Valley will establish a physical site to perform commercial-scale proof-of-concept demonstrations, supported by multi-faceted commercialization support services, and targeted technical training curricula.

The Jobs Accelerator program is focused on economic development, reducing the need for H1-B visas to supply trained workforce, and small business developmental training in economically distressed regions. Through the coordination of federal resources, the Jobs Accelerator supports the development of self-identified clusters that demonstrate high-growth potential. The participating agencies and bureaus in the Jobs Accelerator will offer a combination of funding and technical assistance to approximately 20 clusters in a variety of industries across nation. In addition, multiple federal agencies and bureaus are committing technical assistance to provide streamlined support to selected clusters for qualifying projects.

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