The California Space Authority (CSA) has invited CCST to join in implementing a workforce development project funded by a new $15 million U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) initiative, the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED).

CSA's project focuses on a 13-county economic region comprising the "California Innovation Corridor," an area of California that has a wealth of world-class research centers and technology companies, but limited support for entrepreneurial advancement. In addition to the need for greater financial support for further developing new ideas, the 13-county region - stretching from Alameda county in the San Francisco Bay area to San Diego County - has also experienced a decline in manufacturing jobs. That creates an opportunity to re-train workers in new skills and transform manufacturing to meet new technology demands.

The DOL initiative is part of an ongoing focus at the federal level on the United States' economic competitiveness in the areas of science and technology. This stems in part from the National Innovation Initiative launched in 2003 by the Council on Competitiveness, and has been reinforced by warnings in reports such as the National Academies' 2005 report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm.

In addition to CCST, the CSA coalition includes over 60 partners, including regional organizations such as the Bay Area Science and Innovation Consortium, private companies such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and NASA. CCST's role will involve, among other things, developing an economic model that leverages federal science and research assets, developing worker profiles on workers within the federal lab system already employed in high-impact areas (the federal labs are CCST affiliate members), and outlining how local Workforce Investment Boards could interface better with economic development professionals, education, and industry to ensure science and tech-savvy workers for the future.