Governor Gregoire Addresses the Washington Workforce Development Summit at Microsoft (As Written)
January 29, 2007
During the past several weeks, I have outlined several changes and investments we need to make to move Washington forward in today�s global economy.
As you may have heard me say, Washington is more like a small nation than a state and I truly believe that we have to take advantage of our current position in the world with regard to trade, tourism and new industries.
In my trade missions, I have seen our competition and it is fierce. But our state is well-situated to prosper in today�s economy. Just look at the facts:
- 155,000 new jobs created in the past two years;
- 40% increase in exports up to $45 billion per year;
- The only trade surplus with China; and
- International container volumes at our ports are growing dramatically.
Washington has a reputation as a world leader � Microsoft has changed the way the world uses computers and technology; Boeing has been a leader in airplane development and manufacturing; Starbucks has changed the way people everywhere start their days. Our wines and apples and other agricultural products are well-known for their quality and enjoyed across the globe.
And we are paving the way for future industries like global health and alternative fuels. But in order to continue to succeed, to continue to keep our economy strong, we need to invest. Invest in our citizens. Invest in our education system. And invest in our workforce.
So I�ve been talking a lot recently about my 10-year business plan for our state, The Next Washington. We know that we cannot create jobs and grow our economy without ensuring that our citizens have the necessary skills. We must build a foundation for success by investing in infrastructure � not just roads and bridges, but also in human capital � across the state.
One sure way to succeed is to dramatically increase our investment in math & science learning. The top jobs in the new economy require an understanding of math and science, so our curriculum must prepare students to meet state and international standards.
I�ve proposed a math and science initiative that will:
- Reduce class sizes to give students more individualized attention by meeting, for the first time, nationally recommended standard of one teacher for every 25 students;
- Recruit 750 additional math and science teachers and invest in training so teachers can expand their knowledge and strategies for teaching;
- Establish a bonus structure so that nationally certified teachers who teach in a challenging school will earn an additional $5000 per year and another $5000 if they teach math or science;
- Expand hands-on science instruction so that 1,000 additional classrooms can improve their science experience;
- Integrate math, science, technology and engineering with support from the private sector so that today�s math and science students can become tomorrow�s engineers, designers, computer programmers, builders and scientists; and
- Increase access to math and science scholarships so that careers in these fields are more accessible to Washington students and employers are able to find qualified employees � right here in Washington.
Combined with this effort in math and science, we�re going to increase access to a higher education by providing 8,300 new slots in our colleges and universities, including 3,300 in high-demand fields like nursing, construction and engineering.
But we must make the costs predictable and affordable for students and families. So I�m proposing to cap tuition increases at all our colleges and universities. And to encourage more students to enroll at our community and technical colleges, I am proposing we freeze tuition.
Another important way we can prepare our economy for The Next Washington, is to invest in our research institutions, recognizing that they are a spawning ground for business ideas.
For example, just a couple of weeks ago a professor and a group of students from WSU-Vancouver launched a company, GeoMonkey, that enables users to customize a map and share it with others. Users can share pictures from a vacation, provide directions to a house, list their favorite places to go camping or post details about a wedding.
Eventually, the database of maps will be available for searching by location, keywords, interests and user.
GeoMonkey began as a software development class project and is now poised to become a successful business. That�s just one example of the many opportunities that exist if we continue to make the right investments.
Here are a few other areas where we can continue to grow our state�s economy:
- Investments in global health research through the Life Sciences Discovery Fund and the new University of Washington Department of Global Health are enabling us to discover cures, vaccines, and treatments in Washington that can be delivered everywhere.
- Investments in alternative energy sources to promote energy independence and grow the future of Washington agriculture in new directions.
- Investments like increased marketing of the state as a tourist destination, bringing people from all over the world to enjoy our diverse cultures and natural beauty.
- Investments in our ports � our window to the world � to send Washington products across the globe. In 2004 Washington had almost $60 billion of imports and $40 billion in exports flow through our ports.
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