The Center for Economic Development and Business Research at 黑洞社区 has released results of the Composites Kansas WIRED Asset Map.
The goal of asset mapping is to display industry, education/training and demographic data for the 10-county south-central Kansas region and provide leaders and decision makers with an inventory of key resources that can be incorporated to support the transformational development effort for composites and advanced materials.
The asset map has identified 133 firms employing more than 40,000 workers in the composites and advanced materials cluster. It is estimated that 1,600 additional employees will be needed each year 鈥� many of them with engineering and engineering-technology training.
Between 2004 and 2006, the regional post-secondary institutions average approximately 400 completers annually in engineering and engineering technology/technicians programs.
Highly specialized composites and advanced materials engineering and technology programs are being offered at Cowley County Community College, Pittsburg State University, Wichita Area Technical College and Wichita State.
Additional composites and advanced material-specific programs are being launched at WATC and Cowley, Butler and Hutchinson community colleges.
鈥淎 work force trained in the emerging composites and advanced materials industry/techniques will likely provide workers essential for growth and prosperity of this cluster and our regional economy,鈥� said Janet Harrah, director of the CEDBR.
Since 2000, the region has also benefited from than 40 federal grants to support research in composites and advanced materials. Most of this research has been conducted in the state鈥檚 universities, but several industry and or business initiatives have also been funded.
Inquiries for more detailed data or additional analyses can be made through the center鈥檚 e-mail, cedbr@wichita.edu.
The survey report is available online at .