The demand for skilled workers is growing rapidly, yet there is a serious shortage of occupational and career counseling for young people. I believe there is a serious gap between our educational institutions and the modern workplace. We have a responsibility to lead the business community across that gulf. Three that I think most important are reading, communication skills and critical reasoning. Employers already know that many young people aren't well prepared to tackle the demands of our fast-paced local economy.
Foreign trade is the most rapidly growing sector of Washington's economy.
Service, including computer software, consulting and transportation services, is the fastest-growing category in foreign trade. Yet we aren't adequately preparing young people for these jobs. An employer survey in 1990 reported that many new workers lacked basic reading and other skills. The study by the state's Office of Financial Management found that 60 percent of employers have difficulty finding workers with job-related skills. A third of the employers reported dissatisfaction with their current workers' basic skills such as reading, writing and quantitative skills.