In neighborhood auto repair shops, skilled workers repair cars that are more and more frequently computer-driven. In the past, law clerks and para-legals once spent hours, even days, pouring over case law books to help prove a legal point based on court records. These days that kind of information is accessed, more and more often, in a computerized database. If technology has this many practical applications today, imagine how much we will depend on it in the year 2000, and beyond. If we are to ensure economic vitality, we must all work together to produce the best-educated citizens.
Educators play the key role.
The Washington Roundtable has prepared a video and written materials to highlight those skills. Businesses should also reinforce their needs at the local level. Second, businesses can lend their employees to help schools. At Washington Mutual, for example, we provide school districts technical help in areas such as data processing, personnel, and organizational management. We also offer employees up to four hours per month in paid volunteer release time, to provide service in their local schools.