Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) has been awarded a three-year contract for $9,577,447 million for its multi-layered microelectronics (ME) workforce initiative. The project, funded through the Department of Defense (DoD)’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program, supports the National Defense Industrial Strategy’s priorities of enhancing Supply Chain Resilience and Workforce Readiness. ROI’s multi-year approach may extend the project for two additional years for a five-year contract value of $15,017,577. Over the life of the award, ROI will collaborate with K-12 schools, postsecondary colleges and universities, employer partners, and other institutions to develop and enhance the region’s ME ecosystem and expertise through a Rural Indiana Workforce Development for Microelectronics project. Through vertically aligned and integrated activities, ROI and its partners will promote microelectronics-related careers, accelerate students and workers into and through training and development pipelines, and inspire the next generation of industrial skilled professionals. Examples of deployed activities across the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands will include K-12 microelectronics education and career awareness outreach, Ivy Tech postsecondary certifications, youth apprenticeship programming with ME industry partners, and the development of an ME regional education and training hub. ROI’s IBAS award supports the goals of the National Imperative for Industrial Skills (NIIS) initiative to promote the prestige of manufacturing and industrial careers, accelerate training development pipelines, and elevate U.S. manufacturing to world-leading status. Since its launch in 2020, DoD has supported more than 50 public-private NIIS projects across the country to reignite U.S. industrial modernization, boost manufacturing and engineering skills and workforce development, and strengthen economic, defense, and national security capabilities.
ROI’s education and workforce initiative builds on the region’s growing leadership and prominence in microelectronics. Since 2021, the Indiana Uplands has seen significant investments to enhance the region’s ecosystem as a national leader for ME research, development, testing, and packaging, including:
“The Indiana Uplands continues to be laser-focused on growing upon its significant capabilities and capacity as an innovation hub,” said ROI President and CEO Tina Peterson. “The IBAS investment offers additional evidence that this region is positioned to leverage its often-unparalleled expertise in advanced technologies to not only bring opportunity to our region and our state but also to support national imperatives. NSWC Crane’s legacy expertise in microelectronics and semiconductors coupled with that of Indiana’s three research universities has allowed this region and its partners across the state to step forward expeditiously and lead at a time of critical importance.” Peterson added that ROI is committed to doing its part to ensure that our defense partners have the talent necessary to deliver upon their opportunities and potential. “We are grateful to the DoD for providing the resources through this program to accelerate the development of an ME workforce prepared to succeed in these technical, high-wage professions,” she said. “Both the size of the sector in the region and the scale of its mission requires a continuous and growing focus on talent development, retention, and attraction.” The Indiana Uplands region is home to Naval Support Activity Crane, the third-largest Naval Installation in the world and the 11th-largest single-site employer in Indiana. For every ten jobs at NSA Crane through its tenants Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and Crane Army Ammunition Activities (CAAA), another six jobs exist in defense-related industry and activities throughout the region. The region’s robust defense cluster represents a multi-faceted private enterprise with activities of the federal government reinforced and supported by an innovation ecosystem of defense contracting companies. The defense sector in Indiana Uplands focuses on engineering, technology, storage, production, and demilitarization services. Building on the strengths of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane), research and development focused on advanced technologies that include microelectronics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and hypersonics. NSA Crane, NSWC Crane, and regional defense contractors have a combined economic impact of over $3 billion annually for the Uplands region. “We are thrilled IBAS is investing in the region through this partnership with ROI,” said Jenna Dix, Director of Engagement with NSWC Crane. “This initiative is a great complement to other activities in the state around microelectronics and is exactly what is needed to continue Indiana’s leadership in this critical technology area.”
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