The Department of Labor reports that the current global market for geospatial technologies is estimated to grow from $5 to $25 billion by 2005, creating great demand and projected shortage of skilled workers across all industries. Many of these jobs will require less than a two or four year degree and will provide new jobs for workers who have been downsized from non-technical positions. The Institute for GIS Studies (IGISS) is dedicated to training these workers to meet the needs of the geospatial community. With the over abundance of geospatial jobs leaving the country, IGISS realized the need to keep sensitive GIS materials on-shore. This is not only a security problem, but a workforce problem. One of the reasons geospatial jobs are being sent overseas is the lack of a well trained geospatial workforce in America. IGISS has developed a plan to not only train a workforce, but to connect these trained workers to its industry partners. Through partnerships with businesses in geospatial industries, students who complete the GIS program, certified by IGISS, will be employable through apprenticeships, internships, and at the IGISS Business Hubs. IGISS will be initiating an outreach program by teaming up with local One Stops, Economic and Community Development agencies, and the Department of Labor. This outreach program will concentrate on recruiting unemployed, underemployed, and displaced workers in rural communities that have been negatively affected by the loss of manufacturing jobs. The Tennessee Department of Labor >> Click Here The North Carolina Department of Labor >> Click Here