Learn here, stay here

Hardly a week goes by that I don’t have a discussion with a business leader or economic development official about workforce. Workforce shortages have been an ongoing concern for nearly every industry in our area for some time, and with continued low unemployment and a strong and growing business climate it seems the situation will continue to persist for the near future. Individual community situations vary but in general the region’s overall workforce shortage can be blamed on two major factors: a lack of population to supply workers and a shortage of people who possess necessary skill sets to fill open jobs.

This month, we look at the role universities and research parks can play in combating both of those issues. I recently attended a symposium hosted by North Dakota State University’s Research and Technology Park to provide an overview of the park’s efforts to develop a new strategic plan that will meet the state’s changing needs. At the symposium it was noted that businesses are in need of workers from all levels of higher education and that the declining number of college-age students in the area makes out-of-state recruitment critical. The consultant contracted to devise a proposal for the new strategy was quick to point out what she called the region’s “gaping weakness,” which is that the area’s population is simply not large enough to provide all the people necessary to support its strong economies. Universities and research parks can be the most effective tool in recruiting new residents to the region, she said. Also, while higher education institutions currently collaborate with private industry, there is room for improvement and expansion of those efforts. Read "Filling the Need" for more on the topic.

This issue’s cover feature addresses one aspect of a very exciting announcement made at the end of 2013. Grand Forks, N.D., received federal designation as an unmanned aerial systems (UAS) test site and is one of only six sites where UAS, commonly known as drones, will be integrated into the national airspace. That designation is expected to have a significant economic impact on the area as companies and researchers test equipment and develop the necessary protocols required to bring UAS into the market. One of the first industries expected to utilize UAS is agriculture and our region’s rich agricultural heritage and willingness of producers to incorporate new methods and technologies makes it a prime testing ground for UAS-related practices. Many of the area’s higher education institutions have already been teaching students about UAS and its potential to be an effective tool in precision ag. We highlight a few of them and discuss how commercial use could affect the farming industry in “Taking Ag to the Sky.”

Correction:

The January issue incorrectly identified the Energy and Environmental Research Center as the U.S. Department of Energy EERC. The facility is the University of North Dakota EERC.

Finally, we visit Fergus Falls, Minn., for this month’s Talk of the Town. The lakes country community of about 13,000 is experiencing growth by way of an expanding health care industry and a resurgence of manufacturing. The community is also expected to become home to a first-of-itskind indoor commercial growing operation, supported by a USDA Rural Development loan, which will produce lettuce and eventually strawberries, herbs and spinach. Supporters say the project serves as yet another example of how value-added agriculture can benefit the region. Read “Expanding in all areas” to learn more about that project and other developments in Fergus Falls.