Excitement is building about the launch of the JOBS Commission on Monday, October 12. JOBS stands for Joining Our Businesses and Schools, and it’s a new legislative commission that will explore how to more closely link the curricula of early college high schools with business needs in the state’s economic development regions. I’ve been traveling the state visiting early colleges and I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen. Last week I visited the Wake Early College Health and Sciences on the WakeMed campus in Raleigh, and it’s a great example of a public/private partnership that works. I think we need to see more of marriages of private sector resources with the public schools as we go forward, with the curriculum tied more tightly to workforce needs.
The Commission also is going to be focusing on how to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education in the public schools. All of this is intended to help prepare students for 21st Century jobs and to raise the level of the workforce. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, and it’s what we need to do to stay ahead of the competition for new jobs and development.
I chair the JOBS Commission, and we’ll be launching with an orientation session in the state capital on Monday and Tuesday and getting out to all of the state’s economic development regions within the next year. I hope to see you at one of these regional meetings to talk about how we can strengthen the ties between education and business.
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