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Innovations to 21st Century CareersThe increasingly global economy has meant exciting new opportunities for our state and our nation, but the new economy has also presented us with real challenges. I am deeply troubled by the widening gap between the number of jobs that are available in fields from health care to energy development – and the number of workers who have the skills to fill those jobs. Drop-out rates and unemployment are on the rise, and it is clear that we must find innovative ways to make education work for our students and our businesses. Over the last year, I’ve traveled throughout Washington state, bringing together students, teachers, workforce and economic development leaders, employers, and labor officials to talk about solutions. And the result is legislation - the Promoting Innovations to 21st Century Careers Act (S.3573) - which I introduced in September along with Senators Kennedy, Clinton, Brown, and Sanders. My bill would provide incentives for communities, employers and schools to work together and identify ways to open up “career pathways” that help our students get the knowledge and skills they need to succeed by providing for:
Education is the key to a bright future, and I’m hopeful that the ideas I’ve presented in my bill will fuel a national discussion about ways we can improve education and keep our economy strong. ...................................................................... In the News...Students, state urged to fill the void in the work force The consensus at a two-hour hearing convened by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and held in a packed auditorium at South Seattle Community College was that alternatives to four-year college degrees must be destigmatized and better publicized. - Seattle Post Intelligencer ......................................... Tacoma dropouts get a new chance The partnership of the Tacoma School District, Bates Technical College and Communities in Schools of Tacoma aims to give dropouts between 16 and 21 the individualized learning plans and one-on-one attention they need to earn their diplomas. - The News Tribune ......................................... The trades also need our best and brightest Last week's visit was a program set up for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to give adults and young people the chance to talk about why so few people are joining the trades these days. - Everett Herald |
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