For some time, the increasing role of digital skills has empowered some workers but also divided them from those without digital skills. A recent report by the Brookings Institution notes that that gaps are not just between workers but increasingly between places. They go on to recommend “place-based” investment policies to provide more access to digital skills and opportunities at the local level. A number of new federal programs are seeking to do just that. What isn’t clear yet is how these new programs (e.g., the Good Jobs Challenge, the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, and NSF Regional Innovation Engines) are different from prior place-based efforts, such as the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).
Is your community leading or lagging in the race to digitize?
What impacts do you expect to see in the next five years?
Would you like to explore how your community or organization can create an environment for talent attraction and digital skills development? Fourth Economy is uniquely equipped to help communities identify disparities between workers and skills and talent and place. Email us at [email protected] to continue the conversation. In the meantime, check out our recent webinar, Digital Equity and a Transforming Workforce: Bridging the Divide.