Transcript
Education skills are critical for U.S. competitiveness and the ability of workers to obtain good jobs in a technological, global economy. It is no surprise schools are simply failing to prepare our students to enter the workforce. One- third of students who start high school drop out-that's over one million a year. Sixty-one percent of employers do not believe that a high school diploma means a student has "at least learned the basics." That is one of the reasons the Chamber praised the passage of America Competes Act. This legislation will enhance the economic competitiveness of our nation by stopping the long-running decline in the number of U.S.-trained engineers and mathematicians. The Chamber is also urging that Congress strengthen and reauthorize No Child Left Behind. The Chamber's Institute for Competitive has formed a strategic alliance with the American Association of Community Colleges. Community colleges are at the heart of workforce training and are often deeply involved in economic development and local Chamber activities. To remain competitive, business needs employees who are prepared to meet the rapidly changing demands of the 21st century workplace. That is why the Chamber is working on the national, state and local levels to bring about reform. At this time of year when teachers and students are returning to school, it is important to remember -young people cannot succeed without a first-rate education and we cannot succeed as a nation without them.
--Arthur Rothkopf
Senior Vice President of the Chamber's Education & Workforce Initiative
U.S. Chamber of Commerce | 
