News Releases for September 2008
September 29, 2008
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Hoeven: Completion of BSC National Energy Center of Excellence Comes at Vital Time for Energy Industry
BISMARCK, N.D. – In a ribbon cutting ceremony for the BSC National Energy Center of Excellence, Gov. John Hoeven today said the $18.3 million project is poised to play a vital role in the local and state economy for many years by training the future leaders and workforce needed to power the state’s energy industry.
“With more than half of our state’s workforce due to retire by 2016, the opening of this center comes at a vital time for our energy industry,” Hoeven said. “The commitment of the private sector partners involved with this facility speaks to its vital need and value.”
The vision of the facility is to combine energy workforce training with environment research while advancing the use of coal-combustion products to serve as a one-stop training and education facility. Through partnerships with the North Dakota energy industry, the Center intends to meet the demands of the 21st Century workforce by building a pipeline of multi-skilled workers with an industry-driven approach.
In early 2006, the state provided $3 million in funding from the Centers of Excellence program to help kick off the BSC Energy Center of Excellence. This has been matched with funding from the private sector and federal funds. Private sector partners include Archer Daniels Midland Co., Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Great Northern, Headwaters, Montana Dakota Utilities, North Dakota Biodiesel, Red Trail Energy, and Tesoro.
Over the next 10 years, the Center projects to support 728 new jobs and 3,350 projected energy construction jobs through the year 2014.
The concept behind a Center of Excellence is to partner our university system with private sector businesses. The Centers are investments in the infrastructure and research capacity at state colleges and universities in order to stimulate North Dakota’s world-class students and scientists to find ways to commercialize new ideas into products, skills and services. The Centers create and attract new businesses and career-path jobs.
Fourteen Centers currently exist throughout North Dakota. The state’s commitment of $23 million in funding has been leveraged with $100 million in private sector support for a total investment of $123 million. The Centers have resulted in 16 new or expanded businesses and 3,500 total direct, supported and projected jobs created.
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