👶 NYC infant childcare is the Priciest. US industrial gas use is rising. NVIDIA leads the semiconductor market.

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Australian manufacturing companies awarded $17M in defense industry training grants. UAE to proceed with $5B energy expansion in bid to expand workforce. New Jersey to upskill health science workforce. Nigeria faces skills shortage as tech sector outgrows workforce.

FermiAI launches an AI platform focused on personalized STEM learning for students. World Economic Forum expands global reskilling initiative. Pearson and Georgetown University partner with Telangana at WEF for AI and healthcare research.

In today's newsletter:

👶 Preschool. Infant childcare is priciest in New York’s early education
🍃 Green skills. US industrial natural gas usage climbed steadily
🏭 Advanced manufacturing. NVIDIA leads semiconductor market with highest market cap

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👶 Infant childcare is the priciest in New York’s early education

Infant childcare set back New Yorkers $26K annually in 2024, driven by labour shortages post-COVID, strict staffing ratios, rising facilities costs, and stagnant public funding, unlike K-12 schools. Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul unveiled "2-Care", a programme offering free childcare for 2-year-olds starting in fall 2026 with $1.7B in total investment, strengthening 3-K and statewide Pre-K access. However, uncertainty remains around how the funding will be secured, eligibility for coverage, and proper splits of funding allocations for home- based and center-based care while the Federal government funding freeze continues to threaten existing programmes.

🍃 US industrial natural gas usage climbed steadily

From 2010 to 2024, US industrial natural gas consumption rose steadily from 6,800 Bcf to 8,580 Bcf, driven by manufacturing growth, chemical production, and gas’s cost advantage over other sources, while proving to be fighting to massive industrial scale. Natural gas remains critical for high-heat processes and as a feedstock, even alongside electrification. Meanwhile, commercial consumption has rebounded to around 3,300 Bcf, returning to pre-2010 levels despite EV adoption and renewables, reflecting continued reliance on natural gas for heating and service-sector energy needs, while it still outperforms other fuels in environmental impact.

🏭 NVIDIA leads semiconductor market with highest market cap

NVIDIA’s market cap exceeded $2.5T by 2025 Q1, driven by increased demand for GPU and RAM components, owing to the ongoing AI boom. Demand for AI training, inference, and data-centre expansion has lifted the value and demand for the entire semiconductor stack, from chip design to equipment, while partnerships with hyperscaling AI firms have added more value, and watch over the industry. Taiwan, anchored by TSMC’s advanced facilities, has emerged as a strategic hub in the APAC region, underscoring semiconductors’ central role in global industrial and geopolitical competition.

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