RIEDC, CCRI Partner to Recommend CCRI Workforce Commission
March 13, 2008 | Print this page | Share This | Email this page
Commission will propose specific actions to ensure CCRI is positioned to play key role in creating a 21st century workforce in Rhode Island.
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) announced today that legislation to create the CCRI 21st Century Workforce Commission has been submitted to the Rhode Island General Assembly (H7889, S2450). The legislation is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed and House Majority Leader Gordon Fox. The commission will recommend specific actions to strengthen CCRI’s position as a key institution in Rhode Island’s effort to create a 21st century workforce well prepared for the high-wage job opportunities created by knowledge economy companies.
The move is an important step toward aligning Rhode Island’s workforce development programs with the state’s strategy for growing jobs in high-wage, innovation economy industries. Plans for the commission were first announced in RIEDC’s 2008 Economic Growth plan, which seeks to increase the percentage of jobs in Rhode Island that pay above the national average wage of $42,000 from 40 to 60 percent.
“Creating a 21st century workforce with the experience and skills to participate in a high-wage knowledge economy is imperative to Rhode Island’s future. We must create opportunities at every wage level and introduce knowledge economy skill sets across all sectors and occupations in Rhode Island if our citizens are to participate in the new global economy. CCRI is a lynchpin in our workforce development system,” says RIEDC executive director Saul Kaplan. “Producing a qualified and prepared workforce will require the alignment of public policies and programs across economic development, workforce development and education agencies. The creation of the CCRI commission is an important part of our overall economic growth plan.”
CCRI plays a key role in preparing Rhode Islanders for their first jobs and in retraining individuals for new jobs as skill requirements evolve. The college is a key feeder of Rhode Island’s workforce with more than 16,000 students and four campuses throughout the state.
With the U.S. Department of Labor projecting that two-thirds of all future jobs will require advanced education, it is imperative that CCRI is positioned to play a key role in creating a 21st century workforce in Rhode Island.
“The commission’s recommendations will be vital to CCRI’s evolution as an institution and central to our mission to prepare all Rhode Islanders to enter our economy and get good jobs,” says CCRI President Ray Di Pasquale. “More than 80 percent of CCRI’s graduates are employed by Rhode Island companies. Making sure that our graduates have the skills they need to participate in a knowledge-based economy is one of the most important things we can do to promote economic growth and improve the quality of life for our citizens.”
The legislation will create an 11-person commission. Members will be appointed by Governor Carcieri (three members), the President of the Senate (two members), the Speaker of the House of Representatives (two members), the President of CCRI (two members), the Chairperson of the Board of Governor’s of Higher Education (one member) and the Chairperson of the Board of Governor’s of Elementary and Secondary Education (one member).
“Education is a critical factor in obtaining the skills and experience one needs to successfully enter the workforce,” says Paiva Weed. “As our economy changes, Rhode Island workers will need access to programs that will help in their preparation to enter the workforce and programs that help them adapt to workplace changes. CCRI is one of the state’s best platforms for providing these programs. This action will help CCRI become a workforce development engine that will better prepare Rhode Islanders to fill 21st century jobs.”
The commission will undertake an analysis of CCRI’s current capacity to support Rhode Island’s current and future workforce development needs and deliver a report to the governor and General Assembly no later than July 1, 2010.
“CCRI has an important role to play in our changing economy and in making sure that more Rhode Islanders can get the training they need to get better, higher paying jobs,” says Fox. “The commission will help us understand what is working, what is not and what we can do — short and long term — to strengthen CCRI’s ability to educate and train Rhode Island’s workers.”
“Strengthening CCRI is a natural place for Rhode Island to increase its workforce development capacity. It is an underleveraged asset in our efforts to train and upskill our workers and prepare our citizenry to participate in a changing economy,” says Rhode Island Commissioner of Higher Education Jack Warner. “We are united in recognizing the importance of this endeavor.”
