Call to Action
As Utah continues its upward trajectory into the 21st century, Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. has called the state's attention to the inseparable link between our workforce and the economy. The world is changing. Utah is changing. Fundamental assumptions about how we prepare our students, our job-seekers and our current workforce must change as well.
Governor Huntsman has organized this initiative to examine the readiness of Utah's workforce for the emerging knowledge-based, technology-driven, interconnected global marketplace. Other countries and other states are preparing now for the historic opportunities this dynamic environment presents. Utah is in a prime position to act. It is imperative for our future economic vitality that we bring business, education, community and government together to assess and respond to these changes. We cannot afford to stand idle - our future generations cannot afford to be left behind.
The National Case. Technological advances and the global dynamics of the 21st century are changing the way the United States does business. To maintain its economic strength and leadership among nations, the U.S. must develop a workforce prepared to meet a host of emerging challenges:
- A significant portion of the U.S. workforce is poorly prepared to enter the workforce. Of 21 OECD countries, the U.S. was ranked 16 on graduation rates. Dropouts, students without postsecondary training, and job seekers who lack basic functional skills strain the nation's economy and overall competitiveness.
- More than two-thirds of new jobs in the U.S. require some postsecondary education. Professional, management, technical, and high-level sales will generate 46 percent of all job growth between 2004-2014.
- The global economy is driving many U.S. manufacturing and service operations to lower-cost countries. Many routine jobs are susceptible to being automated and performed outside the U.S.
- India, China and other countries will produce an increasing supply of young workers with advanced math, engineering and analytical skills. Many of these workers will deliver top-notch results at very low wages (by U.S. standards).
- Low-cost, well-qualified job seekers throughout the world will compete directly through the Internet and mobile technology with a more expensive U.S. workforce.
The Case for Utah. Utah brings distinct strengths and opportunities to this dynamic environment. We also recognize pressing needs for improvement. To ensure our continued growth and prosperity throughout the 21st century, government, business and education must work together to seize opportunities and address fundamental challenges in the development of Utah's workforce:
- Utah has one of the strongest, most resilient economies in the U.S. As a state, however, we lack an integrated approach to align workforce needs and resources and create transparent occupational pathways.
- While Utah ranks near the top of the nation in several dimensions of the global, entrepreneurial and knowledge-based "new economy," our overall ranking has slipped in recent years. Utah currently ranks 26th in the educational level of recent migrants, 28th in industry investment in research and development, and last in the integration of technology in schools.
- Utah has the highest percentage of preschoolers in the nation (9.7 percent). Of Utah mothers with preschool-age children only, 52 percent work outside the home. Utah is one of a dozen states that have no state-funded early childhood education program.
- Hiring and retaining quality teachers is pivotal to the preparation of Utah's students to enter the workforce. Utah suffers, however, from an increasing rate of teacher attrition. 6.3 percent of all K-12 public school teachers left Utah public schools in the 2003-2004 school year, compared to 4.5 percent in 2000-2001 and about two percent in 1993-1994. The total cost to Utah of teacher turnover in 1999-2000 (not including retirements) was estimated at $33,147,941.
- In 2007, over 27,700 Utah high school students enrolled concurrently in college courses and earned over 190,000 semester hours. At the same time, however, Utah high schools experienced about a 15 percent dropout rate.
- In some areas, such as Advanced Placement test scores, Utah students excel (Utah ranked 12th in the nation in the percentage of AP exam grades 3 or above (65.9%) in 2007). Overall, however, Utah students' math and reading scores on standardized tests are similar to the national average. White (non-Hispanic) scores tend to be slightly below the national average.
- Utah's continuing population growth offers a measure of insulation from downturns in the national economy. It also increases pressure on crowded classrooms and teachers working with the lowest per-pupil funding level in the U.S.
- In 1992, 41 percent of Utahns age 18-24 were enrolled in college. By 2006, due in part to a much more diverse student population that age group dropped to 36 percent, while leading states' enrollment remained around 41 percent.
- Of adults age 25-49 in Utah, 3.9 percent were enrolled part-time in any type of postsecondary education in 2006, compared with 5.1 percent in top-performing states.
