As the District’s unemployment rate continued to increase, a dismal number of Washington, D.C. jobs were added during May.

The District of Columbia saw its unemployment rate climb from 9.9 percent to 10.7 percent during May, which is higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent.

However, the District did manage to add a few hundred jobs. The District had a total non-farm employment of 702,700 workers during May, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 702,400 workers during April, but a .3 percent decrease from last year.

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The State of Virginia and Microsoft have teamed up to help prepare people for jobs in Virginia.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine recently announced that the state and Microsoft are launching the Microsoft Elevate America program, an innovative public-private partnership to provide free technology training to displaced workers. Microsoft will work with the Virginia Community College System to distribute 11,250 vouchers for technology training and certification.

“Virginia already has one of the best workforce development systems in the country - this program means we’ll have another exciting tool at our disposal,” Kaine said. “This partnership will provide thousands of Virginians with the technology skills they need to attain and sustain employment as the economy recovers. At the same time, this critical training will ensure Virginia’s workforce emerges from this economic downturn stronger than ever, and ready to compete on a global level.”

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A new initiative could help create a slew of PA teaching jobs in important fields.

Gov. Edward G. Rendell recently announced a proposal to increase student achievement, address teacher shortages and prepare the state’s future workforce for high-demand fields. The proposal would allow skilled professionals in the science, technology, engineering and math fields to share their expertise.

The proposal would institute residency teaching certificates to attract mid-career professionals to teaching positions. The proposal is a response to President Barack Obama’s call for “innovative work” at the state level to promote math and science education. Pennsylvania also is one of only six states that received a National Governors Association grant to establish a STEM Center.

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A focus on the state’s aerospace industry could help create many Maryland science jobs.

Gov. Martin O’Malley recently announced a strategic vision for expanding the space industry throughout Maryland. This comes only days after the state unveiled a multi-year plan to expand its biotech industry. The new vision is designed to take advantage of the innovation and uniqueness of the state’s federal institutions.

Maryland is home to 16 of the country’s top 25 space industry manufacturing and service companies, including the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute. The state also has attracted private sector space industry companies like CSC, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, ATK, ARINC, Orbital Services, SAIC, Battelle, General Dynamics, Hughes Network Systems and Honeywell.

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Construction has begun on a project that will eventually create thousands of D.C. office jobs.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and officials from Forest City Washington and the General Services Administration recently announced that work has begun on The Park at The Yards, a 5.4-acre public waterfront park that will overlook the Anacostia River. The Park is a major part of The Yards project, which will include the development a 42-acre urban neighborhood.

When completed, The Yards will accommodate about 2,700 new condos and apartments; 400,000-square-feet of restaurants and shops; 1.8 million-square-feet of office space and the preservation of unique historical buildings already on the site. The Yards is expected to house more than 4,700 new residents. The project also will create 7,700 new jobs, most of them office jobs, which will generate about $450 million in yearly salaries.

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