A new resource guide published by the State Science and Technology Institute for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration highlights three elements essential to the formation of a tech-based economy: intellectual infrastructure, capital, and entrepreneurial culture.

The document is intended for economic development practitioners working with regions to transition to technology based economies.

The North Carolina Motorsport Association just launched a new workforce development initiative aimed at introducing people to the careers and business opportunities in the motorsport industry.

Read the news article.

Find out more information about NCMA here.

Purdue Center for Regional Development, Indiana Business Research Center and Strategic Development Group Inc. published Unlocking Rural Competitiveness; The Role of Regional Clusters in January 2007.

This is a great resource for anyone trying to define a regional cluster. Appendix I of the report gives a detailed taxonomy of 17 industry clusters.

The University of Minnesota has compiled ten principles of economic development through their State and Local Policy Program. Their introduction states,

“Economic Development is a concept whose definition often depends on who is doing the talking. Economists, elected officials, development professionals and citizens are all likely to have varying perspectives on the subject.

The basic framework begins with the assumption that the object of development is to create wealth, whether on a national, regional or local level. However, it is here that the many perspectives diverge. As a backgrounder, the SLPP presents ‘Ten Principles in Economic Development’.”

A California Senator is proposing a series of bills that will help ease the teacher shortage as boomers retire.

Several of his ideas include:

• Easing certification standards, making it easier for retired teachers to continue to teach part time and mentor younger teachers
• Allowing “visiting faculty permits” so that community college and university professors can teach high school classes on the side
• Instituting a loan forgiveness program for credentialed teachers willing to teach in low-performing schools

Read the full article here.

A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics details the status of education in rural America with special emphasis on how student performance in rural areas compares with performance in suburban areas and cities.

A few of the findings include:

• A larger percentage of rural public school students in the 4th and 8th grades scored at or above the Proficient level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading, mathematics, and science assessments in 2005 than did public school students in cities at these grade levels.
• However, smaller percentages of rural public school students than suburban public school students scored at or above the Proficient level in reading and mathematics.
• In 2004, the high school status dropout rate (i.e., the percentage of persons not enrolled in school and not having completed high school) among 16- to 24-year-olds in rural areas was higher than in suburban areas, but lower than in cities.

Download the full report here.

Massachusetts’ governor Deval Patrick laid out his plan yesterday for a billion dollar investment in the life sciences. The new legislation would finance cutting-edge research, create the nation’s largest stem cell bank, and provide expanded tax credits to life science companies.

MA is just one of several states to join the biotech gold rush. As this editorial from the Boston Globe hints, the state is feeling the pressure from initiatives launched in competing states like California, New Jersey, and North Carolina. The new proposal provides $500 million in higher education investments, filling the gap pointed out in the Boston Globe:

“The missing link in the economic development agenda is a community college system that responds to the needs of the labor market. While community college systems in North Carolina and California are collaborating with employers and universities throughout their states to develop bio-manufacturing certificate and degree programs, Massachusetts has few degrees and only tried a pilot certificate program in 2001.”

Read more about the initiative.

(via EDPro)

A new report from the Texas Higher Education Commission shows overall enrollment is growing in community colleges and universities but the Hispanic growth rate is not enough to close the gap. Hispanic legislative leaders blame rising tuition costs and lack of financial assistance for the slow growth that will make it hard for the state to meet goals for “closing the gaps” developed seven years ago.

Read more here.

This report by the San Diego Workforce Partnership identifies the industries in the Life Sciences cluster, top occupations in the cluster and educational programs that train for those occupations in San Diego county.

A new report released in June 2007 by the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore provides a comprehensive overview of Baltimore’s assets and position in the US biosciences industry. The report includes interviews with industry leaders as well as quantitative analysis showing Baltimore’s strong standing in the growing market.