BILLINGS, Mont. - Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco today participated with Gov. Brian Schweitzer in the Central & Eastern Montana region's kickoff of the WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) initiative.

Montana Senators Conrad Burns and Max Baucus both sent representatives to the kickoff who expressed support for Montana's WIRED activities.

"Central & Eastern Montana will build on its ag-economy history to advance biofuels and renewable resources in order to further develop the region's rich energy potential," said DeRocco. "WIRED is an expression of President Bush's belief that developing and applying the American people's skills in productive and innovative ways are critical to keeping our nation competitive in the global economy."

The region will create innovative biolubricant and bioproduct manufacturing clusters, which are globally competitive enterprises that will result in high paying jobs in rural communities. In addition, a Montana forecasting model indicates that for every job created in an oilseed crushing plant, two additional jobs will be created in the WIRED region.

The WIRED region, encompassing 32 counties and six Indian Reservations, will forge partnerships among state agencies, businesses, investors, academic institutions, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and tribal leaders to develop new directions for the future of rural Montana and its ag-economy.

On Feb. 1, the U.S. Department of Labor selected Central & Eastern Montana as one of 13 regions to take part in the $195 million WIRED initiative as a complement to the President's American Competitiveness Initiative. Participating regions will each be awarded $15 million over three years.

WIRED aims to expand employment and advancement opportunities for American workers and spur the creation of high skill and high wage opportunities throughout the country. Regions selected for WIRED seek to improve their competitiveness through the transformation of their economies and the systems and structures that support them. Regional economies in Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Florida, Alabama/Mississippi, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Montana and California are participating in WIRED.