Economic Development

Public job training in the U.S. has tended to be separated from the forces of economic development.  The country’s future economic growth depends upon a system wherein these are better aligned. The demographics are compelling when it is considered that most of the people who will determine what happens to the American economy in the next 10-20 years are already in the workforce.  In the past, government-funded job training focused largely on unskilled workers.  What is required today are regionally-focused economic development strategies.  There is a need to connect a region's educational resources with the changing labor needs of both old sectors, such as the hydropower, and new industries, such as biotech manufacturing. At the same time it is critical to ensure that working individuals have the opportunity to gain the professional and continuing education that they require to remain productive.