Recently in Funding for Training Category

Nationwide, more than 100 majors, minors or certificates were created in 2009 in energy and sustainability-focused programs at colleges big and small, says the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

That's up from just three programs added in 2005.

Two factors are driving the surge:

Students want the courses,
Employers want the trained students

The Obama administration has estimated that jobs in energy and environmental-related occupations will grow 52% from 2000 through 2016, vs. 14% for other occupations.

Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University.

Illinois State University in Normal, Ill. has 65 majors in renewable energy, a program started in 2008 with help from a $1 million Department of Energy grant.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In September it launched a minor in energy studies. A student survey said 43% of freshmen and sophomores were very or extremely interested.

University of California-Berkeley.  The Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laborator has seen student interest in its introductory energy class explode from 40 or so students ten years ago to 270 today.

SOURCE: USA Today

The Nov 24 '09 announcement of $80 million in Recovery Act funds for workforce training marks the first in a series of HITECH grant programs to address our nation's growing need for highly skilled and trained health IT professionals.  The development of this workforce will have a significant impact through job creation in two fields - technology and health care - that comprise a significant portion of our economy.

The HITECH Act seeks to improve patient care and make it patient-centric through the creation of a secure, interoperable nationwide health information network. A key premise is that information should follow the patient, and artificial obstacles -- technical, bureaucratic, or business related -- should not be a barrier to the seamless exchange of information. Therefore, secure information exchange needs to occur across institutional and business boundaries so that the appropriate information is available to improve coordination, efficiency, and quality of care.  HITECH grant programs are designed to support these goals through diverse activities.

Health Information Technology Extension Program

This program provides grants for the establishment of Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers that will offer technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices to support and accelerate health care providers' efforts to become meaningful users of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). The consistent, nationwide adoption and use of secure EHRs will ultimately enhance the quality and value of health care.

Learn more about the Health Information Technology Extension Program

These grant programs will support states and/or State Designated Entities (SDEs) in establishing health information exchange (HIE) capacity among health care providers and hospitals in their jurisdictions. Such efforts at the state level will establish and implement appropriate governance, policies, and network services within the broader national framework to rapidly build capacity for connectivity between and among health care providers. State programs to promote HIE will help to realize the full potential of EHRs to improve the coordination, efficiency and, quality of care.

Learn more about the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program 

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) began as a pilot program in eight States and was recently expanded for military spouses worldwide. MyCAA is designed to equip spouses for "portable" careers: jobs for which there are broad opportunities.

MyCAA provides up to $6,000 in financial assistance for education, licensing, and credentialing. Assistance is available for any occupation within several high-growth industries or for select in-demand occupations within other industries.

All spouses of active duty service members and activated reservists are eligible for the program, provided that the spouses are not members of the military themselves. To set up an account, eligible spouses should visit the MyCAA Web site.

If you have questions, call toll free, 1 (800) 342-9647 and ask for a Military OneSource career and education consultant.