As the Uintah Basin looks for growth opportunities, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) has released the findings of a report on rural Utah’s needs. “Utah’s Strategic Clusters: Performance, Benefits, Workforce Needs and Rural Utah” evaluates Utah’s six strategic clusters which include Aerospace & Defense, Energy & Natural Resources, Finance, IT/Software, Life Sciences and Outdoor Recreation. While some clusters have grown faster in rural Utah than the rest of the economy, Aerospace and Defense, Energy and Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation have all increased more slowly. The study determined that transportation and distribution are key factors in successful clusters. There are 41 higher-education campuses across the 25 rural counties, providing opportunities for residents to build their skills.“Utah’s Strategic Cluster report is an excellent resource for the state and will benefit GOED’s economic development efforts,” said Ginger Chinn, GOED managing director of business services. “This report gives us a better understanding of our workforce needs and opportunities for improvement.”
