Rhode Island Commerce has launched a program to increase student interest and skills in careers that support blue technology industries. The Blue Youth Innovation Grant intends to prepare at least 100 students for future learning and employment in industries involved in national and regional economic development and security.
The grant program will award $120,000 to schools and partnerships to provide education and training for students. A request for proposals issued on Feb. 19 said the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, which is overseeing the program, would review proposals and award grants to up to four proposed projects. The funds could go to one proposal or multiple grants could be made, the RFP said.
The grant program would contribute to the efforts of the Ocean State Tech Hub, a collaboration between the state, private industry, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations. Rhode Island’s Ocean Tech Hub is one of 31 initiatives to receive a tech hub designation by the Biden Administration in 2023. Its mission is to advance national and regional economic development, security and environmental sustainability through innovative ocean technology.
Core industries that support Rhode Island’s Ocean Tech Hub include robotics, sensors, advanced materials, composites and artificial intelligence/ machine learning, with a focus on undersea applications. The Blue Youth Innovation Grant program would create projects for students in those areas. The specifics of those projects won’t be known until after the March 28 deadline for proposals.
The youth innovation grant is open to Rhode Island public high schools, including traditional local education districts, charter schools and career and technical schools, Rhode Island-accredited higher education institutions, and Rhode Island-based employers who are registered with the secretary of state’s office and have at least 51 percent of employees working in Rhode Island.
“Any investment in our blue economy is an investment in our future,” said Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner. “Creating the workforce of tomorrow starts in the classroom, and the Blue Youth Innovation Grant will help students, schools and businesses adapt and innovate to ensure Rhode Island is the leader in ocean technology.”
The Blue Youth Innovation Grant RFP said applicant projects must support development or implementation of either courses toward a high school diploma or an associate’s degree, internship opportunities for high school students, or high school student mentorship opportunities with industry representatives or employers involved in software development, advanced materials, underwater vehicles, undersea navigation technology and artificial intelligence software. Projects must be completed by Dec. 1.
The grant program is a collaboration between Rhode Island Commerce, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, and the Community College of Rhode Island. Funds can be used to establish partnerships, hire coordinators, develop coursework, compensate instructors, purchase materials and cover additional instructional, coordination and related expenses.
According to CCRI’s communications office, the college’s role will be to support grant recipients in curriculum development and training. “Given Newport’s place in the state’s Blue Economy, we strongly encourage Aquidneck Island schools, community organizations and businesses to apply for grants to advance youth development and workforce training in the blue economy,” CCRI Interim President Rosemary Costigan said. “It is envisioned that the Newport campus would be the center of this work for Aquidneck Island grant recipients.”
The RFP issued last week also said youth programs collaborating with a high school and an employer can serve as the lead grant applicant. It also said the Commerce Corporation and partners “will prioritize applicants who collaborate with CCRI to advance the vision of the Ocean State Tech Hub, which covers “a region where residents from all communities, especially in historically disadvantaged areas, see a viable pathway into sustaining careers, all small businesses see increased client or customer base, and where new jobs and new business comes online rapidly through commercialization of innovative ocean technologies.”
Partners include the Greater Newport County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Tech Collaborative, Rhode Island’s public colleges and the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Brown University, labor unions, and dozens of businesses involved in ocean technology and related marine industries. The focus of its efforts is on helping startups and incubators to bring ideas and products to the commercial market. The tech hub provides access to resources, mentorship and capital to such businesses.
One of its partners, Middletown based 401 Tech Bridge, does exactly that through a network of programs that help participants from industry, government and academia. It offers product demonstration programs, an annual undersea technology conference, tech scouting and showcases, and educational programs.
This innovation grant initiative dovetails with other potential programs for workforce development. Last summer, industry and educational institution representatives gathered at the CCRI Newport campus to discuss how best to prepare the region’s students for future employment in new and existing industries. The “Building Bridges: Connecting Education and Industry to Workforce Development” event highlighted the need for basic communication skills for young people.
Prior to that gathering, the van Beuren Charitable Trust partnered with the Rhode Island Office of Postsecondary Education to host a series of workshops on expanding access to career and technical education programs and developing a plan to help the region’s students to prepare for work in a variety of industries.
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