We seek not fifty separate state programs, but a system that serves all fifty states well. We hope each state that desires to create a competitive workforce will embrace this national system of standards voluntarily and make them known in every community throughout the state. These skill standards, then, are designed to support America's competitive position in the increasingly competitive global marketplace. We believe an investment in the skills of our people will enhance America's competitive position, by giving it an edge that allows us to compete on a basis that includes quality, innovation, and productivity, in addition to price. Building our economic success as a nation through skills allows us to also benefit all our people, regardless of their state of residence or the particular industry or job they work in.
Price is no longer enough to capture and keep market share.
Businesses now have to compete on the basis of quality, variety, customization, convenience, and timeliness. The United States can compete effectively on this basis only if its enterprises change the way they organize their work and use their human resources. Successful competition in the global economy can only be achieved if our people are on a continuous learning curve, so that their skills keep pace with the rapid changes in technology and work processes in the workplace and in society. These voluntary skill standards will be developed by industry in full partnership with education, labor, and community stakeholders. The system of skill standards we envision is a voluntary system.