Earlier this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo traveled to Austin, Texas where she toured Austin Community College (ACC) to see first-hand how they are equipping students with the knowledge and skills for the manufacturing jobs of the future. Last week, Secretary Raimondo spoke to Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service where stressed the need for a trained workforce and the need for chip manufacturers, construction companies, and unions to work toward the national goal of hiring and training more workers in this critical industry.
Chips form the foundation of every advanced technology — including the smartphone, cloud computing service, new cars, medical devices, and the weapons system we use today. The CHIPS and Science Act allocated $39 billion for manufacturing incentives to encourage companies to build and expand.
“I would just like to say I traveled all over the country and what I saw today was incredibly impressive,” said Secretary Raimondo at ACC. “The level of collaboration in this community, between public-private partnerships the community college, and industry, it’s very impressive.”
Following her visit to ACC, she hosted a roundtable with local businesses and leaders to discuss how we’re protecting our national security, strengthening our supply chains, and creating good-paying jobs with the CHIPS and Science Act.
Earlier in the day, Secretary Raimondo participated in a discussion on closing the digital divide at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance where she announced the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is seeking input on how to structure nearly $2.7 billion in Digital Equity Act grant programs to close the digital divide by equipping everyone in America with the digital skills and devices they need to thrive online. Raimondo stressed that Commerce is working hard every day to fulfill the President’s promise to deliver affordable, high-speed Internet to every community.
“President Biden ensured that digital equity was at the center of expanding high-speed Internet access to everyone in America when he signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Secretary Raimondo. “We need to hear directly from those who are most impacted by the systemic barriers that prevent some from fully utilizing the Internet.”
To read more about Secretary Raimondo’s speech at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, please click here. Visit CHIPS.gov to learn more about CHIPS for America. The website contains many helpful resources including webinars, the CHIPS Implementation Strategy, and the NSTC Update to the Community.
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