Monday, August 06, 2007
Workforce development is emerging on every one radar. The reason is simple. Two important forces are converging. The first is the retirement of the Baby Boom generation. Millions of skilled workers will be retiring in the years ahead. There are not enough young people entering the workforce to replace them.
At the same time, companies are facing a more volatile and competitive environment. To meet this competition, companies need workers with higher skills and an ability to learn.
A high school education is no longer a tactic to the middle class. To earn more than ten dollars an hour, students need some kind of technical education beyond high school.
That's the message from a recent forum in Kilgore, TX:
"The cars we drive, planes we fly and medical devices that save our lives were last touched by students with licenses, certifications and associates degrees. Yet there is not enough collaboration between industry and public (K-12) schools to produce a viable technical work force when the baby boomers retire."
Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Updating our thinking on technical education
