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Message from the VTTA Vermont Legislature, State Ranking and Workforce Vermont legislators returned for a speedy veto session in June, with the Democratic supermajorities overriding the Governor’s veto of five bills. Of note was the override of the state budget, that was necessary to pass to keep the government funded and of the child care reform bill (H.217). The child care bill raises revenue by establishing a payroll tax of 0.44 percent starting July 1, 2024, and requires employers to cover at least 75 percent of the tax for their employees. During the session, the House Commerce & Economic Development committee met to review a new draft of H.121, a consumer data privacy bill that includes protection of biometric data. The bill is based on Connecticut’s privacy law, which the VTTA and views as a good model. However, the committee may consider other states’ versions. The committee is planning on meeting again this summer. -------- Vermont ranked first for “Life, Health and Inclusion,” in CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business study, one of the key of the 10 categories used to rank states. Vermont ranked 29th overall when other measurements are factored in. Vermont received an A+ for this category, and as CNBC notes it is increasingly important in a state’s overall ranking, as it is an important factor in attracting a workforce. -------- And regarding adding to the workforce, The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), listed Vermont as a leading state for increased tech job postings in its May monthly Tech Jobs Report. It was a positive and somewhat surprising position given some of the softening in hiring across the tech sector nationally. However, whether those jobs are getting filled is another question. That is one reason the VTTA has partnered with talent recruitment firm ScaleTech to help fill in-demand software development roles, while offering discounted rates to VTTA members as part of the partnership. -------- After the flooding that hit parts of Vermont this month some of the common questions asked have been “We’re you impacted?” “Are you OK?” “Do you need any help?” We are heartened, but not surprised, by all those Vermonters who have stepped up to help in any way they can. The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development has created a Severe Storm Recovery Resource Center, with information on government help and how to volunteer and donate. Jeff Couture Executive Director Vermont Technology Alliance

Upcoming Events

THINKMD Open Mic: Schools as the First Step in Healthcare (August 2, 2023) THINKMD will host A Global Health Virtual Open Mic on August 2, giving speakers from around the globe an opportunity to share their insights on the intersection of school and health. The Open Mic welcomes all from the global health and education communities, and beyond, and is intended to create a knowledge-sharing platform on the challenges and opportunities of schools as the first step in healthcare.   Find more here.

VTTA Sunset Networking Event on Lake Champlain (September, 14, 2023 – Echo Center on Lake Champlain)   Save the date of Sept. 14 for VTTA’s Sunset Networking Event on Lake Champlain. This year we’re changing it up and holding the event at Echo Leahy Center for Lake Champlain on the Burlington waterfront. Plan to join us for food, fun and conversation on the shores of Lake Champlain. More details and registration to come.   Find more here.

Renewable Energy Vermont Conference 2023 (October 18 – October 19, 2023 – Doubletree Hilton)   The 2023 REV Conference will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, October 18 & 19 in Burlington, VT. Now in its 23rd year, the REV Conference is the place to convene, network, and work towards realizing our fossil fuel free future. Early adopter registration opens Monday, August, 14th.   Find more here.

Vermont Tech Jam 2023 (October 21, 2023 – Hula)   Save the date for the annual Vermont Tech Jam at Hula on October 21. This annual career and tech expo, presented by Marvell and Hula and organized by Seven Days, showcases some of Vermont’s most innovative companies. The Tech Jam attracts hundreds of job seekers, career changers, tech professionals, college students, enthusiasts, and anyone eager to learn from and connect with Vermont companies. The VTTA is an organizing partner with Seven Days for this annual event.   Find more here.

MindEdge & VTTA Professional Development Offering

Change Management Discover the best change management tools and strategies, and prepare yourself for the real-world challenges of leading and managing change. See the course offerings

Why Change Management?   Change is inevitable, but it doesn't have to be disruptive. Change management training can help you and your team prepare for change, overcome resistance, foster engagement, and promote change resilience. With the right training, you can develop the skills and knowledge you need to lead successful change initiatives. Change management is not just about coming up with the right solution; it’s also about getting people to embrace that solution and navigating the inevitable challenges professionally to realize the bigger vision. culture regarding cyber and information security. VTTA members receive 10% off all courses See more about VTTA & MindEdge Offerings

Sample Course List Change Management Foundations Change Management Professional   Intro to Managing Change and Resolving Conflict   HRCI: Certificate in Managing Change and   Resolving Conflict   Leading and Managing Change   Under Pressure: A Change Management Simulation Certificate in Cybersecurity

Vermont Technology News

Vermont Ranks first in Quality of Life in CNBC’s Annual Ranking of Top States for Business (July 17, 2023) Vermont ranked at the top for “Life, Health and Inclusion,” one of 10 categories in CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business study. Vermont scored an A+ for this category. While Vermont scored the top spot for quality of life, it ranked 29th overall when other measurements are factored in. But CNBC notes that it is an important factor in attracting a workforce, as a shortage of workers is expected to continue across the country. According to CNBC: “By the numbers, living in the Green Mountain State is stress-free, easy, and healthy. Read more here

Can Vermont Turn Hundreds of Millions of Dollars into High-Speed Internet for All?  (July 12, 2023 – Seven Days) The Vermont Community Broadband Board announced that the state will receive $229 million in federal funding from a White House initiative to expand high-speed broadband access. That figure is some $50 million more than state officials had anticipated — good news for the effort to wire up rural Vermont. In the lead-up to the announcement, officials worried that Vermont would get too small a piece of the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program pie. The feds doled out the money based on an internet connectivity map generated by the Federal Communications Commission, which overstated the number of Vermont households with reliable broadband connection.  That led the Vermont Community Broadband Board to launch a campaign urging residents to look up their home on the federal commission's website, which tracked high-speed connections house-by-house and had a mechanism for challenging the findings. On June 26, state officials learned that Vermonters had won almost 11,000 challenges, each worth $3,000 to $5,000 in additional aid. "It leaves us closer to finally achieving a goal that the state's been trying for several decades to meet," Rob Fish, deputy director of the Vermont Community Broadband Board, told Seven Days. "It doesn't get us all the way there, but it gets us a lot closer than we expected to be." Read more here.

Vernal Biosciences Announces an Additional $20 Million in Funding to Expand mRNA and LNP Manufacturing (July 10,2023 – Vernal Biosciences) Vernal Biosciences, an innovative mRNA and LNP Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (“CDMO”) located in Colchester, VT, announced the completion of a $20 million funding round, led by Ampersand Capital Partners and Charles River Labs with participation from Dynamk Capital and the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies. The company will use the funding to complete its first state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) manufacturing facility, scheduled to be online this month, and expand manufacturing and capabilities in support of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) manufacturing, the main regulatory standard for ensuring pharmaceutical quality “We are on a mission to democratize mRNA R&D by making high purity mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (“LNP”) formulated mRNA readily available to more therapeutic innovators and biopharma leaders,” said CEO and Founder Christian Cobaugh. Read more here.

Welch hails broadband expansion with ECFiber (June 28, 2023 – VTDigger) Roused by a 30-piece band swelling the room with marching tunes, a parade of town leaders, civic-minded celebrants and U.S. Senator Peter Welch marked what was described as a historic moment in connecting the Upper Valley with the wider world: plugging the “golden patch cord” into the fiber-optic network of ECFiber, a VTTA member, that will bring high-speed internet service to 3,500 addresses in Hartford. The event was staged to celebrate the near completion — there remain some miles of fiber-optic lines to string in sections of Hartford — represented by “lighting” the last hub in the 23-town consortium that’s been working since 2007 to bring internet service to rural Vermonters. Read more here. Sustainable Engineering Program to Buy Vermont College of Fine Arts Buildings (July 6, 2023 – VTDigger) A new engineering education program is expected to open this fall in five Vermont College of Fine Arts buildings. Greenway Institute, a White River Junction nonprofit that offers sustainable engineering education, plans to purchase a large chunk of VCFA’s Montpelier campus: the Noble, Glover, Stone, Schulmaier and Dewey Hall buildings. By the fall, those buildings are set to become the new Greenway Center for Equity and Sustainability, which will provide college-level classes for students, according to state Rep. Rebecca Holcombe, D-Norwich, Greenway’s cofounder. “If you look at Vermont’s economy, one of the most promising sectors we have is the green energy and green technology sector, sort of broadly speaking,” Holcombe said.“ The new Greenway Center is a joint project of Greenway Institute, Norwich Technologies, and Elizabethtown (Pennsylvania) College and will be supported by a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more here. Fidium adds 10,000-plus new fiber internet locations in Vermont (June 22, 2023 – Consolidated Communications) Fidium Fiber’s expansion in Vermont has brought multi-gig fiber to more than 10,000 homes and businesses across the state, with more Vermonters being connected every day. Communities in Addison County (Hancock, Middlebury, Ripton, Salisbury and Weybridge), Franklin County (Bakersfield and Fairfield) and Chittenden County (Colchester, Essex, Milton, and Williston) are the latest in the state to gain access to Fidium Fiber. Fidium Fiber is offered by Consolidated Communications, a VTTA member. With continued buildout planned to take place over the course of the summer and fall, more than 114,000 Vermont residents and businesses will have access to Fidium by year’s end. Read more here. VMEC Secures $400,000 Grant for Vermont Manufacturers Seeking to Strengthen Their Domestic Supply Chains (June 13, 2023 – VMEC) A federal, two-year grant of $400,000 has been awarded to the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center, VMEC, a VTTA member, to assist Vermont small and medium-sized manufacturers in building their supply chain initiatives.  The funding comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, whose mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness.  This new program, known as Supply Chain Optimization and Intelligence Network (SCOIN), will support supplier scouting services, assess and analyze domestic manufacturing capabilities, as well as expand knowledge of VMEC’s manufacturing ecosystems to stimulate the growth of Vermont and U.S. supply bases. It will also support the hire of a new VMEC Business Advisor who will be focused on working directly with Vermont manufacturers to connect them within the ecosystem of manufacturing and supply chain partners, and assist them in navigating a soon-to-be-announced supply chain platform that supports domestic sourcing. Read more here.

Vermont Technology Alliance Membership Update The Vermont Technology Alliance works on behalf of its members and can carry out its mission through the support of its membership.   Renewing members include Dealer.com as a Leadership Member/Sponsor, the top tier support for the VTTA. Other sponsor-level members renewing are Comcast Business, Cross Insurance and Instrumart as Partner Member/Sponsors. We appreciate and value the year-round foundational support of the VTTA from our annual Member/Sponsors like Dealer.com, Comcast, Cross Insurance and Instrumart.   Other renewing members include Codingscape, Competitive Computing, Gallagher Flynn HR Consulting, OnLogic, Propeller Media Works, Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA), Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC). Also joining is new individual member Miranda Lieblein.   Not a VTTA member yet? Then why not join now? Find more information and register here. You can also contact us at admin@vtta.org.

Featured Member – Instrumart

Instrumart is a global supplier of industrial instrumentation located in South Burlington, Vermont. We distribute flow, temperature, pressure, and automation instrumentation from the industry's top brands like Fuji, Rosemount, Endress + Hauser, and many more. We have a team of 25+ application engineers that serves as our primary sales force, troubleshooters, and technical support staff. Our engineers will work with you to find the best solution for your unique situation, or if you know what you're looking for, you can quickly and easily go online or call us to place an order. We pride ourselves on honest, up-front pricing and quality customer service, and we stand behind all our products with free lifetime technical support. Instrumart, there's an engineer behind everything we sell. Find out more at https://www.instrumart.com/

Useful Information & Links

UVM offers third-year of free career-enhancing courses for Vermonters The University of Vermont will be offering up to two free courses to eligible Vermont residents seeking education and skills for professional growth or employment, thanks to a third year of state funding. From August 2023 - June 2024, the UVM Upskill Vermont Scholarship Program will offer free academic learning opportunities in business, education & social work, food & agriculture, healthcare, and STEM, while funds last. Eligible Vermonters can choose one course per semester or in the summer which can result in college credit or a non-credit professional certificate. The program is backed by a $1.5 million state grant. Registration is expected to open on August 1, 2023; however, Upskill Vermont email subscribers will receive advance notice of course openings. Vermonters are encouraged to join the Upskill email list found at upskillvermont.org.

VCBB calls for public comment on Draft Broadband Plans   The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) has released Vermont’s Draft BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) Five-Year Action Plan and Draft BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 1 and is seeking public comments. The drafts are the first set of plans to explain how the state will spend Vermont’s $229 million federal allocation to expand high-speed internet access.   It is a key priority, and federal requirement, for VCBB to incorporate public feedback into the plans. Input was gathered through listening sessions VCBB held in person throughout the state and virtually last month, as well as through a public survey, emails, phone calls, and letters. Comments can be sent via email to vcbb.info@vermont.gov, or in writing to VCBB, 112 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05620, or call (800) 622-4496. The deadline is August 2, 2023, to comment on the Draft BEAD Five-Year Action Plan and August 18, 2023, to comment on the Draft BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 1

Online Professional Development Courses The VTTA has partnered with MindEdge to offer easy-to-access, affordable, online professional development courses. Whether you are looking to expand your skill set, earn professional credits, or learn something new, these courses are an option to gain essential and in-demand skills on your own time, at your own pace, and from any location. As a bonus, VTTA members save 10% on all offerings.   Find more here.

VTTA Career Center   Vermont Technology Alliance member companies are hiring, and when you visit the Career Center on the Vermont Technology Alliance website you can browse and search for these job openings and subscribe to updates. The Career Center on average features 300+ tech and non-tech jobs with Vermont Technology Alliance member businesses. Jobs available from VTTA members are listed at no charge in the Career Center as a member benefit.   Find the Career Center here.

Find the Software Development Staff with Recruiting Services from VTTA and ScaleTech   The Vermont Technology Alliance has partnered with tech talent solution firm ScaleTech to offer talent solution services to help Vermont businesses find the software developers and engineers. they need to sustain and grow their businesses. ScaleTech focuses on developing a working partnership with businesses between 5 to 200 employees, and offers discounted rates for VTTA members.   Find more here.

The VTTA Thanks Its Member/Sponsors

Leadership Sponsors:

Partner Sponsors:

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