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Penn State Establishes Economic Development Office
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State University is establishing an Office of Economic and Workforce Development to support Pennsylvania employers by matching their needs with the university's resources."We will broker the university's expertise and intellectual capacity to support the creation and retention of jobs within the commonwealth and enhance the skills of Pennsylvania's workforce to help advance the economy of the state," said Craig Weidemann, vice president for Outreach. "Other universities around the country are establishing similar economic development functions as they realize that the resources of their institutions can be an important asset for their regional or state economies."The Office of Economic and Workforce Development will include the university's Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (Penntap) and the Workforce Education and Development Initiative. Penntap's assistance alone played a role in the creation or retention of 900 jobs and $25 million in economic benefits -- including 380 jobs and $13 million in economic benefits in counties designated as economically distressed, according to the university.Jack Gido, who previously had served as the director of Penntap, will be the first director of the new office. "We will identify and facilitate opportunities for partnerships between university units statewide and other economic and workforce development organizations," said Gido.Penntap was established in 1965 as a partnership between the commonwealth and the university. The program helps Pennsylvania businesses improve their competitiveness by providing technology assistance and information to help them resolve specific technical questions and needs. Last year, Penntap provided 775 cases of technical assistance to businesses in all 67 counties, the university said.Visit Penn State University at www.psu.edu"