Gov. Spencer J. Cox recently led a delegation of Utah’s government, academic, and private-sector leaders on a trade mission to Switzerland and Germany from April 13 to April 21. The mission was designed to strengthen global trade relationships, attract foreign investment, and benchmark Utah’s economic and workforce strategies against two of the world’s most disciplined economies.
During their visit to Switzerland, the delegation focused on the country’s well-known workforce systems, particularly the “earn-and-learn” dual-education and apprenticeship models. To identify ways to enhance Utah’s talent pipeline, including the Talent Ready Apprenticeship Connection (TRAC), leaders toured the facilities of Doppelmayr and Stadler Rail—two companies that have already made significant investments in Utah’s advanced manufacturing sector. The group also visited ETH Zurich and Park Innovation to observe their “tri-sector” approach, which integrates government, higher education, and private industry within a single physical space. This successful European model strongly supports Utah’s vision for local transformational projects, especially The Point in Draper.
In Germany, the delegation highlighted Utah’s strong manufacturing and technological capabilities to global partners at Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial trade fair. A significant moment during the German portion of the trip was when Governor Cox signed the renewal of a 24-year-old memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Jürgen Barke, the Minister of Economy for Saarland, Utah’s sister state in Germany. This expanded agreement formalizes a shared vision for transatlantic growth and enhances collaboration across artificial intelligence, quantum computing, aerospace, and workforce development.
The delegation, which also met with global investment firms like the $150 billion asset manager Partners Group, consistently highlighted Utah’s unique advantages: a youthful workforce with nearly 70% labor force participation, predictable governance, and a collaborative business culture. As GOEO Executive Director Jefferson Moss noted, the trip confirmed that Utah offers a stable, aligned economic environment that most states cannot match, and that the global market is taking notice of our momentum.
Read more about the key takeaways from the trade mission in the recent Deseret News op-ed by GOEO Executive Director Jefferson Moss: Opinion: What Europe’s best are teaching us about Utah’s future