Cultivating a Skilled and Competent Workforce

Information from the National Commission on Adult Literacy states that 88 million U.S. workers lack the basic skills to earn a postsecondary credential limiting their capacity to get and keep family supporting jobs. According to the Center for American Progress, the U.S. graduation rate has not reached above 70 percent in decades…the economic and social consequences of not completing high school have steadily intensified. In January 2011, retired Army Major General James Comstock, who serves on the executive council of Mission: Readiness, reported that 75 percent of young Americans are not able to join the military either due to low academic performance and this does not include those that are ineligible due to being overweight or due to a serious run-in with the law. On today’s show, we will discuss challenges confronting the development of our workforce; what is currently being done to address this situation; and strategies, solutions and what today’s leaders can do to help tackle this national crisis and cultivate a skilled, competent and globally competitive workforce.