ARIZONA – For the second consecutive year, the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) and the state received recognition for its economic development initiatives.
Business Facilities magazine announced that the Arizona Commerce Authority is one of six statewide winners of its second annual Economic Development Organization (EDO) Awards, recognizing Arizona’s Future48 Workforce Accelerator training centers.
The EDO awards recognize the efforts of economic development organizations to grow their communities through initiatives that are delivering results toward capital investment, job creation, quality of life, among others.
“Arizona is setting a new standard for workforce excellence with cutting-edge workforce programs. The Future48 Workforce Accelerators will train Arizonans with the skills needed to support growing industries such as manufacturing, semiconductors, batteries, automotive and more,” commented Governor Hobbs.
The Future48 workforce accelerators are modeled after Pinal County’s successful Drive48 center. A collaboration between ACA, Central Arizona College, Pinal County, the City of Casa Grande, and Lucid, Drive48 features multiple assembly robots and individual training rooms to prepare workers for jobs in automotive manufacturing. Since 2021, more than 2,400 students have graduated from Drive48.
Last year, Business Facilities recognized Arizona in its inaugural EDO Awards for the growth of the state’s semiconductor industry. The state leads nationally in semiconductor investment with more than US$100 billion announced since 2020.
