Internships offer students a way to explore potential career paths, develop early professional skills, and contribute to real-world projects. To be most effective for students and employers, two key components must be in place: access and quality. In this blog post, our 2024 summer intern, Jess Myers, examines both concepts and reflects on her experience at TIP.
Quality and Access: The Blueprint for Effective Internships Read More
Higher education plays an essential role in strong innovation economies. TIP’s Talent, Innovation, and Place framework encompasses the idea that aligning universities with economic development efforts is central to community success. Recent plans for Texas and Mississippi illustrate how states and regions can build an innovation economy through academic and industry partnerships.
Building an Innovation Economy: Lessons from Texas and Mississippi Read More
Connecting workers to job opportunities and long-term career paths is a critical component of sustainable economic growth that is often hampered by a lack of information sharing and coordination among organizations. TIP’s proprietary Job Quality and Access tool, developed in collaboration with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, provides multi-dimensional data that helps identify higher quality and more accessible jobs across geographies.
Students often feel pressured to pursue four-year degrees despite skyrocketing education costs. However, the value of affordable, shorter educational pathways, such as associate’s degrees and technical certificates, is increasingly evident. Institutions like Texas State Technical College and San Jacinto College demonstrate the benefits of skill-specific training, supported by philanthropic and industry investments, offering promising alternatives to traditional college routes.
Supporting Shorter, More Affordable Pathways to Quality Jobs Read More
As technology advances, a skills gap has emerged between students’ education and employers’ needs, threatening future workforce readiness. Work-based learning programs, which integrate real-world experiences and employer insights into education, offer a viable solution. This blog post explores three examples of programs that help students acquire essential skills and better prepare for high-demand jobs, addressing talent shortages in major sectors.
Limited access to the education and training needed to acquire high-demand skills and systemic biases in hiring decisions continue to perpetuate skills gaps and lead to underrepresentation in high-paying occupations. This post highlights two inclusive strategies—tailored community-based training programs and targeted recruitment—that economic developers can champion to help increase representation and bridge opportunity gaps.
Opportunity, Representation, and Participation In Workforce Development Read More
While it is often overlooked, placemaking has emerged as an essential factor in building successful innovation ecosystems. Erica Colston’s latest post explores two innovation hubs—North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park and Pegasus Park in Dallas, Texas—to illustrate how placemaking strategies have adapted to succeed in today’s innovation environment.
The super-heated housing market that dominated headlines and led to sky-high housing prices during the COVID-19 pandemic has cooled. Yet, higher home prices relative to pre-pandemic levels and reduced affordability have lingered, pointing to a continued housing shortage. The implications for talent and business recruitment and retention make this topic a central concern for economic development practitioners.
Policy Tools to Increase Housing Supply and Improve Affordability Read More
Earlier this year, the Texas Higher Education Foundation engaged TIP and Research Bridge Partners to bring a cross-section of stakeholders together and create a statewide plan focused on technology transfer, commercialization, and innovation. We invited the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives and Engagement, Jaclyn Le, to talk about the strategic planning process underway.
Field Notes: Fostering Innovation at Texas Universities Read More
Greater Green Bay’s innovation ecosystem has undergone a remarkable transformation since 2015. TIP’s multiple strategic planning projects in the region have allowed the team to witness this phenomenon firsthand. In this piece, VP of business development, John Karras, shares his thoughts on the characteristics that support the region’s dynamic startup and entrepreneurial environment.
Building a Vibrant Innovation Ecosystem in Greater Green Bay Read More
