Presented by the Honorable Emily Stover DeRocco Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training

Penn State Fayette Commencement
May 19, 2007
Uniontown, PA

Distinguished faculty members, guests, and members of the 2007 graduating class – good morning.  It is a privilege to be here in my home state speaking to the next generation of Pennsylvania’s best and brightest.  And as a fellow Penn State alum, I am truly honored to appear before you.

2007 marks the first year students from the Pennsylvania Mine Training and Placement Center will graduate.  The associate degree program offered here at Penn State Fayette is assisting local mining companies in meeting their workforce needs and helping continue the tradition that has defined this region’s economy for so long.

The program was developed with input from Consol Energy and the Foundation Coal Company, and was funded through an initiative at the Labor Department we call the High Growth Job Training Initiative.  I would like to recognize these graduates for the contributions they will be making to your regional economy after graduating today.

2007 also marks the 100-year anniversary of the day the farming class of Uniontown met with members of the Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension Service not too far from here.  While the meeting’s intent was to develop a system for improved crop production and increased profit margins, the end result was the establishment of this college, a place where the sons and daughters of Fayette County’s working class could finally earn a higher education.

As descendants of that generation, you are entitled to the same opportunity for success as your ancestry, which, during their time, was achieved largely through physical labor and an old-fashioned tendency to roll up their sleeves until the work was done.

While these attributes went a long way in their time, they are not fully sufficient for finding this same success in today’s job market.  As college graduates, you are certainly taking a step in the right direction.  Many of you will begin your professional lives in the weeks ahead while others will pursue additional higher education first.  But all of you will enter into a world far different from the one of those who came before you.

More than a decade ago, while many of you were still in middle school, the world around us began to take a different shape as we found ourselves a lot closer to our neighbors around the globe.  As New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has described, the shape our world has taken is flat, and it occurred through a process we call globalization.

Many of you have had the luxury of growing up with the products that led to globalization.  The personal computer – a machine inconceivable to many nearly a generation ago – is largely the vehicle we used to usher in this new era of innovation and instant communication.  The technology harnessed by PCs can now be found in the palm of your hand through cell phones and Blackberries, providing us with even more freedom to communicate. 

In addition to raising our standard of living, these innovations have also raised our level of convenience, which is best evidenced by the ways in which you communicate through social networking sites like MySpace, watch movies on sites like YouTube, and listen to music through new mediums like your iPod.

The members of your generation, which some have coined as the “Millennial generation,” are not the only ones to benefit from rapid communications and the speedy delivery of files over the Internet.  The global marketplace has benefited tremendously from technology to manage worldwide product supply-chains, global communications, and robotic systems for manufacturing.

For every ounce of luxury these products have added to our lives, employers now bear the burden of recruiting individuals who possess the talent to utilize this technology to its fullest potential.  Since technology now permeates every aspect of the global marketplace, workers with skills in the latest technology are in high demand.  Fortunately for many of you Millennials, you have been immersed in much of this technology since you were younger, saving your future employers the time and money it would take to teach you skills you take for granted.

But the presence of this technology wasn’t the only factor to change the global job market.  Globalization has opened up new markets around the world, meaning that lower-skill, rules-based jobs can be performed anywhere in the world, over the phone or virtually, with the help of the Internet.

This transformation of our economy has caused fear and trepidation in some, but I prefer to see excitement and opportunity.  The world is now experiencing a time of transformation and innovation.  It is a time when big ideas are being turned into big results.  For the United States, there is no better time to be at the top of the global economy.  It is here where the greatest leaps in innovation are occurring and where the most opportunity can be found.

For individuals to seize that opportunity though requires them to have higher levels of education and greater specialized skills than ever before.  But as you attain those skills, you suddenly become very much in-demand in the economy.  Companies across all sectors of the economy tell us they are having a hard time finding people with the skills their businesses require. 

There is one other aspect of the global economy that is going to greatly affect you and that is the emergence of a 24 hour 7 day workweek.  That doesn’t mean your weekends are history or that you’ll all be slaves to the job.  Quite the contrary actually.  Because economic activity will always be happening, employees and individuals will be in a stronger position to set their own schedules and workweeks.

So what does all of this economic transformation mean for you as the college graduate?  To begin with, it means that you are well positioned to succeed in your professional lives.  Your college degree puts you in an elite class of individuals, a class that employers are competing fiercely to attract. 

But before you rest on your laurels, understand that someday, you may find yourself behind the curve and require further education to learn a new trade or the latest technology.  After spending the past two or four years working hard to earn your degree, I’m sure this will not come as welcome news, but lifelong learning is here to stay in our economy.  Today’s in-demand skills may not be the same tomorrow, requiring many to return to school to keep up with the latest skills employers demand.

Schools like Penn State Fayette offer the citizens of Uniontown and surrounding communities the ability to remain on the cutting edge in areas such as science, technology, mathematics, and more.  They are also helping Americans learn the skills to operate all of the new technology on which we regularly rely.

Statistics show that by age 35, most people have had an average of 9 jobs and that during their lifetime, people will change careers an average of 3 times.  To prepare for these jobs, you will need an advanced education, but not necessarily in the traditional sense of a master’s degree or a PhD.  You will attain this education as you spend your life learning specialized skills in every profession you pursue.

As graduates of Penn State Fayette charting new, unexplored waters, I have a few pieces of advice to take with you today.

First, in an innovation economy defined by what you know, you better have passion for what you do.  It is the surest way to enjoy your professional life and make a mark in the industry of your choice.  I can summarize this in a single phrase – follow your passion, not your pension. 

Second, in pursuit of your passion, do not be afraid of risk.  The U.S. economy is designed to both encourage and reward risk-taking.  In fact, an entire industry is dedicated to financing those who take risks.  Follow this path, and you may be the next in a long line of famous U.S. entrepreneurs.

And third, take full advantage of every opportunity that you have to expand your horizons.  As some of you already know, and others will quickly learn, it becomes very easy to focus on next week’s paycheck or next month’s mortgage.  You certainly don’t want to forget about those things, but they are not all there is to life.  Sometimes you just need to step back and try something new.  Perhaps you’ll discover a passion you never knew you had.

Finally today, let me recognize the role that the faculty and administrators have played in making this celebration possible.  Your dedication, hard work, and commitment to the excellence of these fine graduates have set them on the path towards successful careers and fulfilling lives. 

This is an exciting time for the Class of 2007 to be entering the economy and I envy the opportunities that lay before you.  Penn State Fayette is part of a world class education system here in the Commonwealth and over the past four years, they have provided you with tools to succeed. 

In a few moments, you will be among the honored few to be called Penn State graduates.  Let me be among the first to welcome you to the club. 

Thank you for the honor of speaking here today.  God Bless you all and God Bless America.