I recently came across this item from the Connecticut Technology Council(CTC). The CTC was recently in Washington, DC and met with Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman and Representatives Rosa DeLauro. CTC discussed the following issues:
1. Stem and Workforce Development
2. Healthcare IT
3. Broadband Access
In light of the economic times, I found the stem and workforce concepts most intriguing. Two of the suggestions that the CTC brought to Capitol Hill included establishing a training program for technology industry jobs in hopes of transitioning workers into the “innovation economy” and federal funding for paid internships in the technology sector for young people.
These initiatives have direct application in Connecticut. The Connecticut General Assembly is considering tweaking the qualifications for Connecticut ‘s tax credit program for the in-state production of digital media and motion pictures, requiring that at least 50 percent of the production work be performed in state. To a large extent, the ability to perform more production work in Connecticut is dependent upon the existence of workers with the requisite traning and skills. In addition, the issue of the “brain drain”, recently discussed by Gregg Lallier, can only benefit from a federal program of paid internships in the technology sector.
-Dan Fitzgerald
