The National Network for Pulp & Paper Technology Training was created to provide the pulp and paper sector of the US forest products industry with a technologically advanced workforce (TAW) by offering exciting and effective education and training. The National Network is an alliance of community colleges, universities, industry partners and the National Science Foundation offering a proven program for recruiting, training, placing, and retaining future pulp and paper workers by providing technical curriculum, continuing education, scholarships and internships. The National Network for Pulp & Paper Technology Training’s scholarships – internships – jobs model succeeds because its’ partnerships address the complete cycle of worker training and development, from recruitment of new students to retention of existing workers.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..." With an annual budget of about $6.06 billion, NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing.

With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions and employers to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathways to two-year colleges from secondary schools and from two-year colleges to four-year institutions; and other activities. Another goal is articulation between two-year and four-year programs for K-12 prospective teachers that focus on technological education.

The National Network is a part of the TAW platform supported as an important technology platform by the American Forest and Paper Association’s special project group, Agenda 2020, and the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry.

The National Center for Pulp and Paper Technology, the only one of its kind in a rural area, is a vital element in the development of a technologically advanced workforce (TAW) that will preserve this core American industry.