In the new economy, education and training are critically important to business and individual success.
Education is perceived as the best way to create a ladder of opportunity and to get ahead.
The extent to which education and training contribute to success in the labor market and the payoff to companies who invest in higher education and training are well documented and supported by recent statistics. Many argue that lifelong training is essential for workers to successfully navigate the new world of work. Given the rapid pace of change occurring in the economy because of technological, work, and workplace changes, workers and employers must continually retrain and retool as the workplace and work skills change. Because of these changes, post-secondary institutions are being challenged not only to educate and train recent high school graduates, but also to respond to the needs of those returning to school. These new customers present different demands to traditional secondary institutions in responding to their needs.