Celebrated journalist to speak about workforce development crisis at CREDC luncheon
It’s not a rumor – America’s workforce is in serious jeopardy compared to other countries across the globe, said distinguished journalist Hedrick Smith, who will deliver the keynote address at the next Columbia River Economic Development Council quarterly investors luncheon.
The event is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 17 at the Vancouver Hilton.
Smith is a Pulitzer-prize winning former New York Times reporter and editor and Emmy award-winning producer and correspondent. He has authored several best-selling books and created many award-winning specials for Public Broadcasting System. His latest documentary, "Can You Afford to Retire?" was broadcast on PBS’ Frontline series in May and won an Emmy award and was nominated for a Writers Guild script award.
"We’ve been doing very badly," Smith said via telephone from his Chevy Chase, Md., office.
In the last decade, he said, the United States has lost a million jobs to China. Four years ago, no laptop computers were manufactured there – now, 90 percent of the world’s laptops come from China.
And in 1994, there was no modern port in Shenzhen, China. It was raw rock, empty space, said Smith, who has visited the city north of Hong Kong numerous times in the past two decades. Now the port is on its way to becoming the third largest in the world.
"That’s how fast that part of the world is advancing," he said.
Smith doesn’t claim to be an industry or economy guru – just a journalist who pays very close attention.
In his address in Vancouver, Smith said he will focus on the grave need to match workforce development with economic development, using China as a point of comparison. China is focusing much attention on the high school level, and has closely connected its educational training with industry through internships and mentorships.
Much of his lecture will look at the need to pay close attention to high school education and two-year universities.
"We need to go back into high school and get students into math and science," Hendrick said. "The food chain is a problem in America. We tend to be in love with training at the university and graduate level, and assume that if we get enough graduates, we’re going to succeed."
This takes making high school interesting and relevant – and not to the "whiz kids," but to the 70 percent of students who are bored and think high school is just a holding tank for the real world.
"We need to be thinking about the ones who are actually going to be doing the jobs," he said. "The really bright kids are going to invent the interesting technology and the rest of the kids are going to be using it and building it."
On the industry side, high-tech firms – of which Southwest Washington has several – can help by offering internships and mentorships to young students as well as teachers who can see first-hand how their algebra and physics lectures are put to use. Vancouver company nLight Corp. is heavily involved with the MAP program, which encourages professionals to mentor kids in math and science.
"Students need to see that it’s not just about getting a grade, it’s about preparing themselves to get a high-tech job in the future," said Smith.
Another key factor is teaching students how to be re-trainable. Technology changes so rapidly that in 10 years of entering the job market, their jobs will have changed.
"We have a huge job in persuading employers to see that the problem is larger than they thought," Smith said.
Southwest Washington has the desire to define itself as a high-tech center, but Smith said it is key to look at the whole picture.
He pointed to Austin, Texas, which in the 1980s, decided to become the second Silicon Valley. The University of Texas had a standout engineering and science program, and Austin was successful in attracting a number of industries with a whole lot of factories.
But the area did not pay attention to high school and two-year technical training, and by the 1990s, had a drastic shortage of highly trained, skilled and teachable technicians. And you can’t run a chip fabrication plant without them.
"(Universities are) the tip of the pyramid," Smith said. "And the tip rests on all the stones underneath it. And we’re not paying attention to the foundation lately.
"People want to make it regional," he added. "How the hell do we save the middle class American living standard and tax base? It’s generic – it’s all over America. We’re going to get wiped out."
When plants close, he said, people say ‘too bad, 100 people are out of work.’ But it’s happening all over America.
"I’m not a football coach, I don’t do pep-talk speaking," Smith said. "I tell how the world is, how it’s changing without being industry-specific. I’m just sharing the experiences of what I’ve seen."
The luncheon is sponsored by the CREDC, Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council, National Electrical Contractors Assoc.-International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48 with support from the Educational Service District 112.
The cost is $30. Those interested may RSVP to the CREDC office at 360-694-5006.
Consider this:
• By 2010, if current trends continue, the majority of the world’s engineers and scientists will be living in Asia.
• 86 percent of U.S. voters surveyed recently agree the U.S. must increase the number of workers with math and science skills, but 65 percent of parents said they were unwilling to persuade their children to pursue careers in math and science.
• Washington leads the nation with a strong trade surplus with China, its largest trading partner. Exports helped to create almost half of the state’s new jobs in the past 30 years. But Washington ranks 35th in the nation for the percentage of young adults attending college. About 30 percent of ninth graders fail to graduate on time or at all.
Statistics provided by the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council.
