Governor Calls for Change in Education Debate, Linking the Economy and Education
Including skills training in the dialogue about education, Governor unveils new Oregon Manufacturing Strategy for 21st century economy
Portland, OR – Today at the annual Oregon Business Council’s Economic Leadership Summit, Governor Ted Kulongoski called on the business community, public officials, school leaders and the citizens of Oregon to join him in changing the way Oregon currently debates and addresses the challenges facing education and the economy.
Speaking to an audience of several hundred business and education leaders from throughout the state, the Governor said, “Oregonians have traditionally thought about – and debated – education and the economy as separate and disparate issues. We spend a lot of time talking about education, and when we run out of things to say, we switch and start talking about the economy –and then it’s back to education. It’s an endless loop.”
The Governor continued, “It’s time we say enough! I want everyone in Oregon to understand that we no longer have the luxury of thinking about education and the economy as different challenges – requiring different solutions…we need a long term vision that recognizes that education and the economy are interdependent.”
The Governor reiterated his vision for the Education Enterprise – which he announced at the 2005 OBC Summit – which creates a seamless system where pre-K, K through 12, community colleges, universities, and workforce training are part of a single, unified system instead of the traditionally independent sectors that compete for the same dollars each biennium. The Governor’s Education Enterprise would be budgeted, funded and managed as one enterprise and treated as one enterprise as students advance from sector to sector – and it reintroduced workforce training into the education equation.
“Doing education right in Oregon means sending the right message, and I’m convinced that many of our fellow Oregonians feel that when we talk about education – under the assumption that every student ends up in a four-year university – we aren’t talking about them, their families, and their future,” the Governor said in reference to the statistic that more than 70 percent of Oregonians do not have a four-year degree or greater.
Sharing his background of the nuns who raised him, his service in the Marine Corps and his opportunity to attend college and law school because of the G.I. Bill, the Governor continued, “Many believe that they won’t ever have the chance I had to turn a life of limited means into a life of unlimited potential. This is completely unacceptable to me. And it should be unacceptable to you.”
“When I was a young man – the message I heard wasn’t: Education matters. The message I heard was: My education matters. But too many Oregonians are hearing something else – or hearing nothing at all.” the Governor said. “Let’s be honest – does a 47 year old laid off wood products worker from John Day think that our current debate about education is about his future? Does a 19-year-old woman from Portland who doesn’t want a four-year degree but wants a technical career think that our current debate about education is about her future?...If the answer is no – our job is to change that answer to yes. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
The Governor also attributed part of the funding challenges to the fact that the current message that education will make their lives better does not resonate with many citizens. He said that to get the absolute most out of education in Oregon – we need to create a seamless continuum that begins with pre-K and moves on to K through graduate school, the retraining of older workers and opportunity for younger workers to acquire the skills necessary to build, maintain and add customer value to Oregon products. This approach to education, the Governor said, will do more to put earning power in the hands of citizens and businesses than anything else the state can do.
Focusing on manufacturing, the Governor told the audience that Oregon has a growing dependence on manufacturing to create jobs and spur economic growth, but that as that dependence is growing, the skills gap in Oregon’s manufacturing base is also growing.
“My goal is to solve three problems at once: [businesses] need for skilled workers. Help for older workers who feel they’re being left behind. And better choices for the large number of students who don’t want a four-year degree,” the Governor said in unveiling the next phase of his manufacturing strategy to make sure Oregon businesses never have to look outside of the state for skilled workers.
The Governor announced a new one-million dollar investment to continue expanding skills training opportunity to young Oregonians and those already in the workforce. Half of the million-dollar investment will come from federal workforce training funds and be used specifically to implement the Oregon Manufacturing Workforce Strategy with the state’s private sector partners. The other half will continue the Governor’s commitment to manufacturers to provide high performance consulting services through the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
“Our manufacturing strategy is one more way that we are using our education and workforce training systems to grow jobs for Oregonians – and to train Oregonians for jobs in our international economy,” the Governor said. “No one is more committed than I am to seeing that Oregon achieves its full economic potential. We can build strong companies, expand our markets, and train the best skilled workforce in the world. All we need to do – is do it together.”
Specifically, the Governor’s manufacturing strategy focuses on four key areas to ensure Oregon has the skilled workforce to compete in a global economy, which include: 1) Embrace high performance manufacturing practices; 2) Create a world-class manufacturing workforce with skills that meet employer and worker needs; 3) Connect regional manufacturing centers of excellence; and 4) Raise awareness about the value of Oregon’s manufacturing industry and its many career opportunities.
To link to the Governor’s Manufacturing Strategy, go to: egov.oregon.gov/WORKSOURCE/sos/docs/manufwkfcrep_final_12-22-05.doc
The Governor concluded his remarks with optimism about Oregon’s economic direction, recapping that Oregon has the lowest unemployment rate since 2001 at 5.8 percent, and the sixth fastest growing economy in the nation. The Governor’s focus on, “turning the Oregon economy into a high performance engine of growth, high wage jobs, skilled workers, and financial security for Oregon families,” is delivering results.
He ended with another emphasis on education as a continuum, stating that, “we will not reach any of these goals without well educated and well trained Oregonians. We’re not there yet. But with four economic summits behind us – and the Education Enterprise ahead of us – I promise you and the people of Oregon, . . .. . . we’re going to get there very soon.”
For the full text of the Governor’s remarks, go to: http://governor.oregon.gov
Contacts:
Lonn Hoklin (503.378.6169)
Anna Richter Taylor (503.378.6496)
|
