The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) recently announced a $1.1 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to Utah State University Extension. The round of fundings will finance the development of the Remote Online Initiative (ROI). The aim is to provide specialized training to implement financial recovery and remote work training.
As Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said last year, remote work is a crucial part of Utah’s workforce. Therefore, EDA will release these financial aids to improve remote work training for businesses. Above all, the government expects to create over 450 jobs, generating $40,500 in private investment. Matching the grant with $264,182 in local funds, the aim is to expand remote jobs opportunities.
As the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo said: “This EDA investment in Utah State University will provide training to business leaders across the state in developing effective remote work environments that will help them create and retain jobs.”
New Funds For Remote Work Training And Financial Recovery
So, the Utah State University will use these funds to support and implement the ROI program. In 2020, the university’s remote work certification courses created 167 new remote job placements. These openings in rural countries are equivalent to 6.154 jobs in urban countries. As a result, the university will implement remote work training programs.
As Paul Hill, USU Extension professor and director of the ROI program, explained: “Our research found that most U.S. organizations that implemented remote work in response to the pandemic considered the experience favorable. We know from theory that a positive experience with innovation on a trial basis increases the likelihood of adoption in the future. Ultimately, remote work reached a tipping point during COVID-19 and is here to stay. This means that businesses are evolving from being designed for the collective to being personalized to every individual. This specialized training program will coach business leaders on the Wasatch Front through effectively developing remote work plans for their organizations so they can thrive in the future of work.”
So, EDA funds will operate through regional planning efforts of the Mountainland Economic Development District and the Wasatch Front Economic Development District. The organizations work with the public and private sectors to strengthen the regional economy.
Remote work training and distributed teams are among the best options to recover local economies even in the post-pandemic stage.
