A recent report by the National Governors' Association on the demands of the New Economy states "in 1959 only 20 percent of workers between the ages of 30 and 59 needed some college instruction to succeed; today, that figure is 56 percent. The skills of the nation's work force will determine its ability to compete in the new, global, and technology-based economy. States must help ensure that higher education systems maximize their resources to expand learning opportunities and teach the skills needed in the new economy. Distance learning may need to be combined with traditional campus curricula to expand the number of subjects covered, and special attention will be needed to increase access to post secondary education for all qualified students."

In Congress, I was proud to push through the "Wise Amendment" to make sure that workers put out of work by certain federal environmental regulations received training to get new jobs. I also voted to expand college loans and scholarships, reduce class size and build new schools. Now we must aggressively extend our efforts on the state level to help our families stay competitive for the good jobs of the future and to help attract new businesses and encourage existing ones to expand here in West Virginia.

West Virginia ranks last in the nation in percentage of our population who are college graduates. This must change if we are to attract the high-skill, high-wage jobs our families need. There is a direct connection between higher education and economic success. But for too many families in West Virginia, the cost of tuition is just too high. That is why I have fought in Congress for student loans and tax breaks for families saving for college, and I will seek to expand the resources available to those who seek a college education. However, we must examine our policies to remove impediments to the completion of college studies and use technology to expand access to college instruction for all students, not just traditional ones. Also, most importantly, we must create opportunities and incentives to keep our college graduates in the state.

GOVERNOR'S INITIATIVES:
1. Fund and Expand the PROMISE Scholarship Program
We must fund and seek to expand access to our PROMISE Scholarship Program so that every qualified student who works hard and plays by the rules will have an opportunity to receive some level of higher education. As Senate Education Chairman Lloyd Jackson has noted, this will greatly improve the skills of our workforce, while encouraging our talented young people to stay close to their families and find work here in West Virginia. Working with State Treasurer John Perdue, I will create a totally integrated program that provides financial access to some type of higher education for every qualified student.

I also will explore with the Legislature other higher education access programs, modeled after our physician training programs that have provisions for loan forgiveness for graduates who stay and work in West Virginia following the completion of their studies. These types of programs would act as an incentive to keep our college graduates home in West Virginia.

2. Design Comprehensive Work Force Development Programs
As we begin this new century, the ability to provide employers with a skilled work force becomes even more critical to our economic growth and fulfillment of West Virginia's promise for the future. We must develop a single system with a shared vision, mission, and goals that is tied closely to employer needs and aligns with state and local economic development plans. The recent federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which I supported in Congress, provides the framework for a local employer driven system. West Virginia has identified seven work force regions that recognize the diverse economies in our state. I will work with local elected officials and the Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) to better understand the regional work force needs. A goal for my administration would be to provide technical support for the local work force boards to ensure their success.

We must tackle the issues of under-employment, unemployment and skill shortages in technology, health fields and manufacturing areas, as well as low-paying jobs. Dun and Bradstreet recently ranked West Virginia's work force efforts a failure. Our focus must be on our total work force of 800,000 West Virginians, our unemployed, our dislocated workers, our job seekers and our senior citizens who must work.     

Another area that I will make a top priority is developing the opportunity for our youth to have multiple pathways leading to post secondary education, advanced training and career opportunities. We must advocate unabashedly on behalf of our young people to create the economy that provides the job opportunities to keep our youth at home.

We have many bright spots or sound models to look to in West Virginia. We have created economic alliances with the following industries: steel, wood, chemicals, plastics, construction, Advantage Valley, the High Tech Consortium, and others. These partnerships are being led by the private sector. We must continue to encourage our educational institutions, both higher education and public schools, along with state and private providers to work cooperatively toward a common vision. Today's employer driven marketplace requires a dramatically better flow of richer and more accurate local job market information for sound decisions. We will develop a comprehensive labor market information system to help link our existing pool of talented workers with regional employment opportunities. This tool will be invaluable for our educational institutions, our local work force boards, our state agencies and our employers. We must eliminate redundancies and improve status quo.

West Virginia is known for its dedicated work force. I will provide the leadership to create a single work force system that listens to and meets the needs of the employers for the 21st century. Our focus must be on retention of existing businesses as well as preparing the work force to attract new businesses.

3. Create Job-Training Partnerships with Colleges and Universities
We must promote the role of West Virginia's institutions of higher education as partners in the training and development of a work force for the new economy. We will directly engage our colleges and universities to assist our employers in work force development, facilitating the creation of partnerships with them. As part of this effort, we must strengthen our system of community and technical colleges, as they are a key effort in preparing the state's work force. Aggressive implementation of the recently enacted SB 653, the Higher Education Bill, will provide additional opportunities to improve work force development. In addition, we will encourage greater local business and labor involvement in our public schools, encouraging them to design apprenticeship and tech prep programs.

4. Reform the Governor's Guaranteed Work Force Program
We will seek legislation to reform the Governor's Guaranteed Work Force Program to base the level of funding support for businesses upon a designated wage structure and job training and skill proficiency of workers to encourage the growth of high-wage jobs. In addition, an incentive program will provide greater incentives for businesses that create quality jobs in Business Opportunity Zones. Workers who complete proficiency requirements for technology training will qualify for further incentives under the program as well as jobs that provide a full range of health benefits to covered workers.

5. Develop on-site "Informal-Learning" Programs
A recent study by the Center for Workforce Development at the Education Development Center demonstrates that low-skill workers best improve their competence and learn new skills in the workplace - through pre-employment workshops and on-the-job training. We will provide businesses with resources to encourage informal learning and will establish learning networks for businesses to share best practices for training in the workplace.

6. Expand Work Force Training, Child Care and Transportation to Help Families Move From Welfare to Work
We must continue to encourage families to move off the welfare rolls and onto the payrolls. A good-paying job is better for families than any social program. We must continue to support and encourage families to make this transition by using some of the federal money we have saved through declining welfare rolls to help needy families get the training they need to enter the work force and the child care and transportation they need to stay employed.

7. Continue to Market Aggressively the Pre-Paid Tuition Program
We must pursue every opportunity to make college affordable for every West Virginian. State Treasurer John Perdue has created the state's pre-paid tuition program that helps families save and pay for their children's college education. It is a valuable tool to help West Virginia's families afford the cost of college. In addition to creating the PROMISE Scholarship, we must continue to market aggressively this important program to our families.

8. Prepare our Children for the Jobs of the Future
A good education is the cornerstone to building a strong economy. We must make sure our children have the skills and values they need to succeed. I will make improving our public schools a top priority and once again make West Virginia a national leader in education reform. That means:

• * Teaching the basics - reading, writing and math;
• * Setting high standards and making sure our children learn what they need to get a good job and succeed;
• * Encouraging students to learn foreign languages and to learn about other cultures so our children can compete and communicate in the global economy;
• * Implementing character education so children can be responsible citizens;
• * Improving teacher training, pay and support;
• * Strengthening vocational and entrepreneurial education;
• * Encouraging distance learning and internet education so we can link every student with the most skilled teachers regardless of distance;
• * Improving technology and research skills; and
• * Expanding student apprenticeship programs.