Grant Will Benefit Local Economic Development

The Sustainable Economic Development Initiative (SEDI) has received a $15,000 grant from APS. The funding will support engineering and program design for the Northern Arizona Economic Development and Workforce Training Center (NAEDWTC).

The NAEDWTC project is a long-term (5 year) effort that, when completed, will provide customized job training and co-location for economic development and workforce training organizations in Northern Arizona. The focus is on training and certification for the green jobs of today, as well as for the emerging green economy.

This grant award will support Phase 2, engineering and program design for the project. A local architectural firm, Smith Architects Inc., has been retained to implement Phase 2 of the project.

The NAEDWTC project is guided by a regional workforce Demand Study commissioned by SEDI in 2009. Conducted by NAU’s Center for Business Outreach, the study examined the need for a Northern Arizona Workforce Training Center (NAWTC) in the five-county region that includes Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo and northern Yavapai County or the Verde Valley.

More information about the workforce demand study can be found on the SEDI website at www.sedinaz.org/workforce-training.