Over 600 Silicon Valley business leaders attended the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce's annual Power Report luncheon on January 24th where Lt. Gov. John Garamendi addressed critical issues facing the State - including the budget crisis - and how the promise of what California once was in the 1950s and 1960s needs to be restored for the 21st century workforce.

"Fifty years ago California built the foundation for innovation and achievement with the best education system in the world, an unparalleled highway system to move people and goods around the state, and created a water system that is the lifeblood of the California economy today," Garamendi commented.

Next he reported, in the face of the State's proposed budget cuts, the education system must be raised up from its 48th place ranking, the highway system is crumbling from deferred maintenance, and the water system that was designed to support a population of 12 million is at capacity and will not be sufficient for the projected 50 million population in the next 20 years.

"Over the next six months, we face a critical decision - whether to continue to invest in our future or to abandon the historical commitment to public investment that made the Golden State the engine of prosperity that it is today," says Garamendi.

Beyond the challenges of funding education, the Lt. Governor pointed out California must compete for highly educated workers, many of whom can't get visas and return to their homelands. He is also concerned about the increasing drop-out rate for high school students and loss of their intellectual capital.

"In Silicon Valley," he says, "there has been a 4% drop in the number of high school students ready to go on to universities."
Garamendi recommends reinstituting career technical training (formerly called vocational training) to train those students who are not college-bound for "serviceworker" jobs. While there will be a greater need for highly skilled workers in Silicon Valley in the future, he sees a demand in many industries for plumbers, nurses, truck drivers, medical technicians, etc. He asserts enhancing educational opportunities for all workers will create a higher wealth economy.

In Southern California, the Lt. Governor visited Cerritos Community College where a public-private partnership has been formed between the educational institution and local auto companies to train mechanics. He also mentioned a trend for hospitals and the health care industry to develop career training programs for nurses with community colleges and universities. He encourages the business community to interface with the education community in more of these partnerships.

In closing, Lt. Governor Garamendi stated, "We in government must work with you, our business leaders, and our academic leaders, to develop plans to increase capacity and availability of higher education as well as career technical programs that provide training for important, high-skill occupations that meet the needs of businesses and provide good jobs for our people."


View a copy of the Chamber Report