Likins said the education aspect includes reaching children at a younger age, retraining teachers and offering competitive salaries. We need a strategy of competing in this new economy. But that can't be done alone, panelists agreed. Government, education and the private sector must all contribute in order to make sure Tucson has a viable economy. We need to collectively come together.
New technology is a social and an economic issue.
Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup said the gap will remain unless government and the private sector work to close it. Not if you are chained to the bottom. It's more than just the problem of cost, said Larry Aldrich, chairman of the Greater Tucson Economic Council. The real barrier between the haves and the have nots is also the lost desire to learn. Panelists also said Tucson needs to push itself as the place to be, especially now, when many companies are moving out of high-tech areas such as Silicon Valley.