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National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement™ Launches First of its Kind Certification for Advanced Manufacturing and Tech-Related Programs

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NIICA certification assures ongoing alignment with the ever-changing needs of the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries

HANOVER, Md., Jan. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement™ (NIICA), the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) national Intermediary for establishing and expanding Registered Apprenticeships (RAs) in the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing supply chains, has announced its education program certification designed to ensure that training programs and degree pathways align with evolving employer needs in the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries.

Through its innovative National Talent Hub™ (NTH) and its comprehensive database of industry competencies, NIICA offers a dynamic, data-driven certification process that ensures education and training programs remain aligned with employer job requirements and evolving Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). Unlike traditional certification models, the NIICA Certification™ leverages technology and automation through the NTH to provide real-time updates, enabling institutions to adapt their curricula to meet the ever-changing demands of the advanced manufacturing and semiconductor industries.

NIICA redesigned and maintains the Advanced Manufacturing Competency Model listed in the USDOL Competency Model Clearinghouse and developed the nation’s first semiconductor competency standard that informs the Semiconductor Competency Model. This data is included in the NTH database and is continually informed on an ongoing basis by industry input.

“True alignment between education and industry has always remained elusive and has required manual processes and physical interactions in an attempt to keep up with more technical job requirements,” said Mike Russo, NIICA President & CEO. “We at the Institute have worked with industry representatives over several years to develop the related knowledge, skills, and abilities required to succeed on the job and progress in careers spanning advanced manufacturing industries. Our work has included semiconductor industry roles, detailed down to specific employers and jobs, eliminating the need to spend time and money to develop these KSA profiles. Through our National Talent Hub™ and NIICA Certification™, we are now providing an automated process and seamless platform for aligning education programs with industry needs in real time, ensuring individuals gain the skills and competencies required to succeed in these high-demand fields.”

NIICA’s certification process begins when education and training providers submit program profiles through the NTH. These programs are evaluated for alignment against an industry-informed competency database, which identifies and standardizes the KSAs required for advanced manufacturing and tech job roles, with an emphasis on the semiconductor industry and its supply chain. The certification not only validates alignment with industries that have the same foundational skills requirements, but also signals alignment to specific occupations, providing employers, workforce boards, and learners confidence in program outcomes. There is also additional value for individuals and employers; individuals doing career and education mapping through the NTH will be directed to certified education programs and employers will be able to see these certified programs when they are looking for education resources.

“The National Talent Hub™ revolutionizes how education aligns with industry,” said Clay Nagel, Senior Director of NIICA’s National Center for Skill-Based Learning (CSBL). “Through real-time feedback on job requirements and KSAs, the National Talent Hub™ helps ensure education programs remain connected to the evolving needs of employers. Coupled with NIICA’s certification process, we’re creating a framework where education and industry work together to prepare workers for meaningful careers in the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries – careers that require the same foundational and transferrable skills.”

NIICA’s certification supports its broader workforce development initiatives, including its work as the USDOL’s national lead in the development and expansion of RAs for semiconductor and nanotechnology related industries and their supply chains. This work is being advanced under the Growing Apprenticeships in Nanotechnology and Semiconductors™ (GAINS™) program and supports the Semiconductor and Advanced Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship Program™ (SAM-TAP™), with education programs validated for curricular alignment through the NTH often providing the Related Technical Instruction (RTI), ensuring participants receive training that aligns with industry-specific demands.

Since its inception in 2022, NIICA’s GAINS program has secured:

118 employers engaged in RAs in 27 states7,554 apprentices committed to the program3,010 active Registered Apprentices154 standards signed or under development60 colleges and related education and training providers in NIICA’s national network supporting related technical instruction

Many of the NIICA certified education providers are also a part of the Semiconductor Industry Network of Colleges™ (SINC™), a growing network of 60 colleges and related education and training providers across the country that are supporting related technical instruction. In addition to community colleges, any education program and training provider can seek NIICA certification for its programs.

These certifications and tools are part of NIICA’s broader efforts to align education, workforce development, and industry needs. Below are some of the key initiatives driving NIICA’s mission to build sustainable talent pipelines:

Growing Apprenticeships in Nanotechnology and Semiconductors™ (GAINS™): GAINS is a USDOL-funded RA initiative focused on revolutionizing workforce development in advanced manufacturing and tech. By prioritizing skill-based learning over traditional time-based training, GAINS provides participants with mentorship, hands-on training, and the foundational competencies necessary to excel related industries.

Gateway Apprenticeship Program™ (G.A.P.): G.A.P. bridges the gap between high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) and employment. This scalable program leverages the existing education system to integrate pre-apprenticeship frameworks with RAs, ensuring that students gain the necessary skills to seamlessly transition into promising careers in high-tech fields or pursue further education.

Semiconductor Industry Network of Community Colleges™ (SINC™): SINC connects 60 colleges and related education and training providers with employers nationwide, to ensure curriculum is aligned with job requirements, creating a national network of RTI providers to support RAs and career advancement.

National Talent Hub™ (NTH): The NTH is a state-of-the-art portal that uses advanced data analytics to connect jobseekers to employers and training programs that target their specific needs. Unlike typical job matching services that use resumes and job descriptions to create matches, the NTH uses a dynamic database of required job competencies that is continually informed by industry to provide insights into the degree of alignment between individuals, careers, and course curriculum.

Semiconductor and Advanced Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship Program™ (SAM-TAP™): NIICA’s SAM-TAP initiative supports states, employers, and training providers in developing competency-based RAs. As a USDOL Intermediary, NIICA provides these services at no cost, collaborating with state apprenticeship offices and commerce departments to expand talent pipelines in the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing sectors.

VetConnect & Veteran’s Fellowship Program: VetConnect connects veterans with RAs in advanced manufacturing and tech-based industries, providing additional resources through the VALOR Act to support their transition from military service into civilian careers. This initiative leverages NIICA’s Intermediary capabilities and ensures that veterans receive the support they need to succeed in high-growth fields like semiconductor manufacturing.

To learn more about NIICA’s certification process, visit www.niica.org/certification. For an in-depth look at the NTH, visit www.niica.org/national-talent-hub.

About the National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement™

NIICA is a 501(c)(3) organization that is responsible for a national strategy to build the talent pipeline to support strategic industry sectors – tech-based industries and advanced manufacturing tied to U.S. national security and global competitiveness. 

NIICA is the nation’s leader in semiconductor talent pipeline development strategy and is the U.S. Department of Labor’s national RA industry Intermediary responsible for establishing and expanding RAs throughout the semiconductor and broader nanotechnology-related industries and advanced manufacturing supply chain. All related programing and support are being advanced through NIICA’s Center for Skill-Based Learning and the National Talent Pipeline Development Initiative.

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SOURCE National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement

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Corgi Insurance Announces Artist Residency to Support Local Creatives at Corgi Cafe

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Corgi Insurance has announced the launch of its Artist Residency Program, a new initiative designed to support artists, illustrators, writers, photographers, filmmakers, and creators working at the intersection of technology and culture.

The residency will be based at Corgi Cafe, the company’s 24/7 community space in San Francisco built for founders, engineers, investors, and operators. Since opening, the cafe has become a home for hackathons, demo days, founder dinners, product launches, and late-night building sessions. With the residency, Corgi is expanding that community to include the creatives documenting, interpreting, and shaping this moment in technology.

Residents will receive workspace at the cafe’s central warehouse in San Francisco, featuring 30-foot ceilings, creative tools and materials, access to Corgi’s network of founders and builders, and opportunities to showcase their work through exhibitions, talks, installations, publications, and community events. The program gives artists proximity to the people and ideas driving technological change while bringing creative perspectives and storytelling into the startup ecosystem.

The launch reflects Corgi’s belief that the next generation of iconic technology companies will be built not only by engineers and operators, but also by writers, designers, filmmakers, and artists capable of translating complex ideas into culture.

“I fell in love with art and culture while working in crypto and digital art. Seeing creators flourish around community and new technology shaped me deeply, and that vision now lives on through Corgi Cafe,” said Trevor Owens, Head of Cafe at Corgi. “Some of the most important movements in digital art emerged not from institutions, but from people gathering in shared spaces, experimenting together, and supporting one another’s work. We want to bring that same ethos to Corgi Cafe. San Francisco has an incredible community of local artists, and the Artist Residency is our way of investing in the people documenting, interpreting, and shaping this moment in technology and culture.”

The Artist Residency is an effort to make Corgi Cafe a place not only where companies are built, but where culture around technology is created. Applications for the inaugural Corgi Artist Residency are now open. Local artists interested in joining San Francisco’s builder community and creating work alongside founders, engineers, and operators can apply today. The residency will launch in San Francisco before expanding to additional Corgi Cafe locations across the country. Apply here: corgicafe.com/residency

About Corgi

Corgi Insurance is the first AI-native insurance company. Backed by decades of insurance expertise, Corgi has raised $374 million since its founding, most recently at a $2.6B valuation.

Media Contact: Erika Lee, erika@corgi.com 

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SOURCE Corgi

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Infobip research reveals APAC businesses scaling AI-powered defenses to counter surge in automated fraud

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Fraudsters are leveraging AI to automate and personalize attacks, but enterprises are fighting back

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — New research from global AI-first cloud communications platform Infobip reveals a growing surge in AI-powered fraud and enterprise defenses. Analyzing billions of interactions globally, Infobip’s 2026 Fraud & Security Report highlights a year of dramatic contrasts. There have been record volumes of blocked fraudulent traffic alongside the rapid scaling of intelligent, AI-powered defenses.

The report reveals that while fraudsters are using AI to scale and personalize harmful messaging, leading to a 77% increase in detected threats, businesses are responding in kind. Adoption of AI-powered fraud detection grew by 71% year-on-year, while pattern-based detection increased by 105%, underscoring a shift toward adaptive security.

Matija Ražem, Chief Commercial Telecom Officer at Infobip, said: “Fraudsters are using AI to automate and scale campaigns faster than ever, but AI-powered protection is evolving just as fast. The significant growth in AI-driven detection proves that leading organizations are no longer treating security as an afterthought, they are building it directly into their communication infrastructure.”

The report also highlights distinct fraud trends emerging across the Asia Pacific region.

Across APAC, enterprises are navigating an increasingly complex fraud environment as digital engagement and mobile-first banking continue to accelerate. At the network level, APAC is among the most technologically advanced regions based on Infobip data. Operator firewalls are highly automated, while mature AI-powered detection models can identify and block most threats without human intervention.

At the enterprise level, however, OTP-based fraud remains a significant challenge in several key markets. Certain territories continue to record elevated suspicious authentication rates, indicating structural fraud patterns rather than isolated campaigns.

Regulatory scrutiny is also intensifying across the region. In countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and India, regulators have introduced stronger authentication requirements, reflecting a broader regional shift toward treating SMS OTP vulnerabilities as both a security and compliance priority.

This growing focus on fraud prevention is driving stronger enterprise action across APAC. For example, PLDT Enterprise strengthened security across Smart’s network after deploying Infobip’s SMS and Voice Firewall. The deployment helped reduce spam, smishing, and fraudulent SMS traffic, blocking more than 1.3 billion spam and fraud attempts while improving SMS delivery and overall network security.

“In APAC’s rapidly growing digital economy, trust is emerging as a key competitive advantage, and businesses need to make Network APIs a core part of their fraud prevention and authentication strategy. Companies should consider leveraging Network APIs’ capabilities such as Number Verify, SIM Swap detection, KYC Match, and Device Location Verification to better stay ahead of evolving threats while delivering seamless customer experiences. By taking this a step further and orchestrating these capabilities through a CPaaS platform, businesses can create a centralized, resilient security framework that helps reduce fraud without disrupting the user experience,” commented Goran Valjak, Director of Telecom Growth and Strategy Asia at Infobip.

Download the full Fraud & Security Trends 2026 report to find out more insights: https://bit.ly/3R2W9pl.

About Infobip

Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey, with AI as the driving force of innovation. Through a single, natively built platform, Infobip delivers omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact centre solutions that help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications while driving growth and increasing customer loyalty. Infobip is focused on enabling and accelerating AI adoption as it continues its transformation into an AI-first company. Infobip’s technology has the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices in 6 continents connected to 10k+ connections of which 800+ are direct operator connections. The company was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutić and CTO Izabel Jelenić.

Recent award wins include:

Infobip ranked #16 in Fortune’s Europe’s Most Innovative Companies 2026 (June 2026), up from its inaugural #68 ranking in 2025.Infobip named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) for the fourth consecutive year. Positioned furthest for Completeness of Vision for the second time (May 2026)Infobip named the number one Established Leader in the Juniper Research RCS for Business 2026 Leaderboard (Feb 2026) Infobip recognized as a growth and innovation leader in Frost Radar™: Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) by Frost & Sullivan (Oct 2025)Infobip ranked as the number one Established Leader in the Juniper Research Mobile Messaging Fraud Prevention Market report (Sept 2025)Infobip ranked as a Leader in the Omdia CPaaS Universe Report for the third time (April 2025)Infobip ranked an Established Leader in the Juniper Research Conversational AI Leaderboard (Feb 2025)Infobip named a CPaaS Leader for the third time in the IDC MarketScape (Feb 2025)Infobip named one of the top CPaaS providers in Metrigy’s CPaaS MetriRank Report (Dec 2024) Infobip recognized as the number one provider in the AIT Fraud Prevention market by Juniper Research (Oct 2024)

 

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SOURCE Infobip

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Brown Health Medical Group-MA Data Breach Alert: Edelson Lechtzin LLP Investigates Class Action Claims

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National data breach law firm offering free case evaluations to individuals whose Social Security numbers, financial account information, government-issued IDs, and health records may have been exposed in the Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach.

NEWTOWN, Pa., July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Edelson Lechtzin LLP, a national class action law firm, is investigating data privacy claims arising from the Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach, a cybersecurity incident that exposed the sensitive personal, financial, and health information of hundreds of thousands of patients. Lifespan Physician Group of Massachusetts, Inc., which does business as Brown Health Medical Group-MA, reported the breach to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office on July 16, 2026.

What Happened

According to a report filed with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office on July 16, 2026, Lifespan Physician Group of Massachusetts, Inc., doing business as Brown Health Medical Group-MA, experienced a data breach that may have exposed sensitive personal, financial, and health information entrusted to it by its patients. The incident affected at least 290,357 residents of Massachusetts and 86 residents of Vermont. Brown Health Medical Group-MA has not publicly disclosed the total number of individuals affected across all states.

Information Exposed

The Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach may have compromised a broad range of sensitive personal, financial, and health information. According to the notice filed with the Vermont Attorney General, the exposed data may include Social Security numbers, financial account codes, credit and debit account information, government-issued identification numbers, driver’s license numbers, and health and medical records.

Who May Be Impacted

Individuals who are notified that their information was involved in the Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach — including patients of Brown Health Medical Group-MA and its affiliated physician practices — may face an increased risk of identity theft, financial fraud, and medical identity theft.

Your Legal Options

Edelson Lechtzin LLP is investigating a potential class action to pursue legal remedies on behalf of individuals whose sensitive personal, financial, and health information may have been compromised in the Brown Health Medical Group-MA data breach. Through such an action, affected individuals may be able to recover compensation for loss of privacy, time spent responding to the breach, out-of-pocket costs, and other harms. The firm will evaluate your rights and potential claims at no cost.

Contact Us for a Free Case Evaluation

Speak confidentially with a data privacy attorney today: Marc Edelson, Esq., Edelson Lechtzin LLP, 411 S. State Street, Suite N-300, Newtown, PA 18940; Phone: 844-696-7492 ext. 2; Email: medelson@edelson-law.com; Web: www.edelson-law.com. Or click HERE to request a free consultation.

Recommended Protective Steps

Review your account statements, credit reports, and any explanation-of-benefits statements from your health insurer regularly, and remain vigilant for suspicious activity. If Brown Health Medical Group-MA offered you complimentary credit monitoring or identity protection services, consider enrolling before any deadline stated in your notice. Confirm whether your information was involved in the incident and preserve any letters or emails you received about the breach. Consider placing fraud alerts or a security freeze on your credit, and consider requesting an IRS Identity Protection PIN to guard against tax-related fraud.

About Edelson Lechtzin LLP

Edelson Lechtzin LLP is a national class action law firm with offices in Pennsylvania and California. In addition to data breach litigation, the firm handles class and collective actions involving securities and investment fraud, federal antitrust violations, ERISA employee benefit plans, wage theft, and consumer fraud

Media and Partnership Inquiries: Use the contact information above to connect with our team regarding interviews, co-counsel opportunities, and referral partnerships.

Legal Notice: This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions.

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SOURCE Edelson Lechtzin LLP

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