GOED 2020 Annual Repor t
Impacts GOED’s Impact on Rural Utah
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development has numerous programs dedicated to serving rural counties — that’s every county in the state except for Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah counties, commonly known as the Wasatch Front. Whether it’s creating new jobs, providing consultation, supporting businesses, or fostering state revenue growth, GOED supports the valuable contributions rural Utah offers. While GOED has programs solely dedicated to rural development, every team and program within the organization creates a lasting impact on Utah’s rural communities. Jobs created in rural counties have a significant impact on local Utah economies. In fiscal year 2020, GOED programs helped create 357 jobs in rural areas and 456 high-paying rural jobs. In one year, GOED’s programs helped 2,394 individuals in rural counties. The GOED team helped entrepreneurs grow their business, and students further their education, including 186 rural student participants in the Talent Ready Utah program. During FY 20, there were 1,947 GOED initiatives and activities in rural counties. Investment in businesses and attracting new capital is critical to rural community revitalization. This fiscal year, GOED dedicated $80,560,942 in grants, credits, and marketing dollars to rural counties and helped facilitate $196,345,353 in third-party investments. Through these investments and subsidies, GOED helped rural businesses generate over $4.8 million in revenue.
GOED’s Support for Utah’s Robust and Talented Workforce
Talent Ready Utah’s career pathway programs continue to provide high-quality workbased learning experiences to students across the state in several industries. With expansions in St. George, Cedar City, Tooele, and Gunnison, pathway programs are now available to more students than ever before. More than 1,000 students participated in career exploration activities as part of the Utah Career Pathways program, with 200 students graduating. The Utah Works Program provides adult learners opportunities to master new skills and find careers with some of the country’s most successful companies. Learners can engage in short-term training programs paired with companies like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Merit Medical and acquire specialized training to transition into a highpaying career. At the beginning of the 2019 school year, the second cohort of 15 new apprentices started the Talent Ready Apprenticeship Connection program in the Salt Lake School District. Students began their careers with the train manufacturer, Stadler US. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, classes were canceled until the end of the school year, but the TRAC program went to great lengths to make sure the apprentices continued their training through remote classes offered by Stadler instructors. There are currently 31 youth apprentices engaged in this new program, and the first group of students will complete the program with an associate’s degree from Salt Lake Community College in 2022.
6
