YMVC Update to the Region - November 14, 2022 - Volume I, Number 8
GOWAN COMPANY CELEBRATES FIRST 60 YEARS IN HIGH-TECH AGRICULTURE, NEW MANUFACTURING JOBS COMING TO ARIZONA, AREA SCHOOLS CELEBRATE SUCCESS, AND MORE...
Welcome to YMVC's new outreach bulletin, focused on planned steps to increase high-tech education access and success to support existing and future high-tech industry and emerging best practices.

Each article has been selected to support the Ten Recommendations that were unanimously adopted by the YMVC Board of Directors following the completion of our data-driven 3rd party-sourced Strategic Assessment and Market Analysis that formed our Strategic Plan Framework. This work was done in collaboration with Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation.

Our regional focus includes collaboration in Yuma and Imperial Counties as well as Northern Sonora and Baja Norte, Mexico.

We look forward to engaging industry, education, students, parents, and all other stakeholders as we advance to Phase 3 of our project.
We are on a mission.
We are a collaborative organization, bridging higher education, industry, and prospective talent to provide the means to achieve the skilled careers of today and the future.
Updates From High-Tech Industry

As the result of data and best practices, YMVC has pivoted to become both an industry-faced and tech workforce development organization seeking to advance a regional pipeline of skilled talent to support both existing and future tech industry in the Greater Yuma Region. Find news here about high-tech industry success both in our region and beyond.
Yuma high tech agriculture firm celebrates 60 years of growth
KYMA - The Gowan Company is celebrating it's 60th anniversary with the Gowan Global Gathering bringing one-thousand employees from over 20 different countries to Yuma.

Gowan began in 1962 as a local crop consultancy business to help growers identify the right crop protection solutions to help their farms thrive.

Today, Gowan has over 45 entities in 19 countries and sales in over 70 countries.
Improving the Workforce Attraction
and Retention Ecosystem

The data-driven Strategic Plan Framework, built from the feedback of over 250 stakeholders and in consideration of best practices, calls for improving the economic ecosystem with amenities that will support workforce retention and attraction. This space includes ideas that support those objectives.
Maricopa named #1 in the country in talent attraction ; in Ed attainment +17%
Phoenix - Lightcast, the global leader in labor analytics gives Maricopa County the nod for best in the nation for success.

Lightcast launched their Talent Attraction Scorecard to help communities understand how they were doing at attracting and developing talent.

Maintaining its top spot, Maricopa County saw 17% growth in education attainment, 13% uptick in skilled job growth & 40k new tax filers in 2022.

Regionally, Yuma County ranked #127, Imperial County (CA) #288. Also, Pinal County ranked #26, and Pima County #66.

While higher education will be developing and executing the curriculum necessary to serve the pipeline between potential upskilled workers and industry, we certainly plan to do all we can to support a collaborative environment and best practices in order to reduce the time for degree completion. Success should help us improve our rankings in the future.
 
This plan can also be beneficial in attracting new students and employees to our region.
News from Education

Higher education Innovation is happening in our regional community colleges and universities. Non-profits such as YMVC seek to increase innovation to improve outcomes. Find news here--both regional and beyond.
Area schools celebrate achievement
San Luis - Desert View Elementary, located in San Luis, AZ, recently celebrated their sixth "A" rating from the Arizona State Board of Education. In 2019, the school was listed as number one in Yuma County. The students celebrated this achievement, as seen is this DVE Facebook photo.

Based on the 2022 scores, the school will be ranked third, behind Dorothy Hall Elementary School and Gowan Science Academy.

YMVC congratulates students, parents. educators, staff, and administration for these achievements!
Yuma - Southwest Arizona's elementary education achievements are no fluke. In fact, last year, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recognizes 325 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2021.

Of those, he names five which are in Arizona, including one in Yuma.

Arizona schools named as National Blue Ribbon Schools were:

  • Mesa – Franklin East Elementary School, Mesa Public Schools
  • Tolleson – University High School, Tolleson Union High School District
  • Tucson – Jacob C. Fruchthendler Elementary School, Tucson Unified School District
  • Tucson – Mesquite Elementary School, Vail Unified School District
  • Yuma – Desert View Academy, Juniper Tree Academy School District
The cost of America's teacher shortage
Time - Meanwhile, Shaye Brown is uniquely familiar with the nation’s teacher shortage. About a week into the school year, she learned that her 9-year-old son, who is in a specialized class for students with autism, would not have a full-time teacher because of an acute shortage of teachers at Paterson Public Schools in New Jersey. Instead, a substitute teacher is filling in. And on Sept. 12, she resigned from her job as a special education teacher in the same district to take a better paying job at a neighboring school. She knows her decision will make Paterson’s teacher shortage worse.
Business Attraction News
Government sometimes supports efforts to attract or expand businesses.
Inside view: Availability of skilled workforce among reasons Nestle chose Arizona over New Mexico
Glendale, AZ - Food giant Nestle USA revealed its plans earlier this year to build a 630,000-square-foot food and beverage manufacturing plant in the Phoenix metro.

The famous brand said it will invest $675 million and bring 350 new jobs to the Glendale area with its plant, which will produce creamers for Coffee Mate, Coffee Mate Natural Bliss and Starbucks brands.

"While we considered other locations, ultimately Glendale offered a strong opportunity for investment and growth, given its proximity to our West Coast customers, business environment, and availability of a skilled workforce," a Nestle spokesperson said in an email.
$500 million manufacturing plant planned with average wage of $55,000
Coolidge, AZ - Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble Co. unveiled its plans to build a massive fabric care manufacturing plant across more than 400 acres less than 200 miles east of Yuma.

The plant is expected to be operational by 2025 and create about 500 jobs in Coolidge with annual average wages of $55,000. It will hire 86 employees the first year and add 138 workers per year over three years, city documents said. P&G said its plant "aims to use" its most advanced and innovative manufacturing and sustainable technologies in its global manufacturing and supply chain operations.
YMVC PREPARES TO ADVANCE TO
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Having received feedback and insight of over 250 area members of industry, education, elected officials, young professionals and other stakeholders, YMVC is preparing to present the results of the data-driven Strategic Plan Framework in public meetings and through multi-media outreach.
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Yuma Multiversity Campus Corp.
370 South Main Street
Yuma, Arizona 85364