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Supply and Demand: Educating Today for Economic Success Tomorrow
Issue: January 2012
By Hannah Gourgey
E3 Alliance

We don’t often think about education in business terms, but the reality is that our schools are supplying the workers of the future. Without a steady stream of incoming employees who can not only read, write and do math, but also have 21st century skills like teamwork and initiative, our economy will fail to keep pace. And because our education system is the feeder for the employees of the future, it is critical that local employers provide input and support in shaping educational outcomes.

Integration between the education system and the business community is critical because many of the most valued skills in our entry level workers focus less on content mastery and much more on professional skills: the ability and motivation to keep learning, team work, self-awareness, creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and strong communication skills.

The greatest challenge our public and higher education systems face, is providing content mastery of core subjects while cultivating those higher-level 21st century interpersonal and creative skills. For growth and achievement through the next century, it cannot be an “either/or” question, but “both/and.”

Industry has a profoundly important role to play in both clarifying expectations and supporting education by offering work experiences to students, through modeling the professionalism they expect, and by helping our educators expand the concept of classroom to well-beyond the four-walls of a school or college.

As one of the largest employers in the Central Texas area, National Instruments has a vested interest in our education system as a pipeline for the next generation of innovators, partnering with E3 in producing well-rounded students. Brad Armstrong, Director at National Instruments shared with me the importance of producing 21st century ready students, and how his organization is working with E3.

"The employees we hire in the 21st century require so much more than strong technical and academic skills. The ability to communicate effectively, work in teams, and solve conceptual problems are just as critical. Corporations play a major role in the building and shaping of these 21st century employees. We partner with schools and regional efforts like the E3 Alliance-led STEM pipeline collaborative; we host job shadowing and internships to give students a taste of the real world of work; our employees mentor students in schools. All corporate institutions in our community can play a role in helping our students succeed and in return, increase our economic sustainability."

In collaboration with education and corporate leaders, The Blueprint for Educational Change’s plan provides tools to allow educators to integrate 21st century professional skills in to programs. Read here about why professional skills are critical to teach students, and how to assess these skills.