A community committed to R.I.

For 30 years Providence Business News has been chronicling the local business community’s efforts to build and sustain a strong economy.

Education is a, if not the, key factor in that effort. Business leaders know that for Rhode Island to be a destination – for companies and people – and not a pass-through state, education must be of the highest quality.

Whether through the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council or other business associations, the business community knows it must address the compelling needs of all employers: a workforce that’s prepared to compete in the 21st century, qualified for high-paying jobs and able to acquire new skills as technology changes.

The business community has been committed to public-private partnerships to improve K-12 education, and to harness the energy and talent at our colleges and universities for innovation and business creation. We know the talent is here and the educational opportunities abound, if only we can tap the potential for all of our citizens.

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By far the greatest ambition has been to create an effective education system so that students leave high school with basic skills to participate in the workforce and the capacity to build new skills through continued education and on-the-job- training. Given the pace of technological change, the state’s biggest employers invest in constant training to maintain a competitive workforce, and if K-12 education fails to prepare students for continued learning, we all lose.

From Arthur Robbins (long-time education advocate in the state) to Barbara Cottam (current chairwoman of the R.I. Board of Education), the business community has provided Rhode Island with strong, committed leadership to improve K-12 education. Many employers in the state provide mentors, internships, volunteers, resources, technology and grants for public and charter schools. We work hard to make a difference for the entire school-age population and for one student at a time.

One clear competitive advantage the region has in education is our post-secondary institutions. From liberal arts schools like Providence College and Roger Williams University to Rhode Island School of Design, we host more than 10,000 new students every year.

Health care is one field in which corporate and educational cooperation has yielded great benefit for the region. With Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, its Executive Master of Healthcare Leadership program, the University of Rhode Island’s Academic Health Collaborative – which includes their nursing and pharmacy schools – as well as nursing and medical technician programs throughout the state at Rhode Island College, Salve Regina University, New England Institute of Technology and the Community College of Rhode Island, along with physician assistants programs at Bryant University and Johnson & Wales University, our colleges and universities are delivering a well-educated, highly trained workforce.

We have many other assets of course: Narragansett Bay, Quonset Point, our location on the Northeast Corridor, nationally recognized performing arts organizations and a rich, multicultural heritage tapestry.

As a result, we can be a very attractive location for existing businesses and entrepreneurs who want to locate on the East Coast.

Some assets need some investment, something the business community has been advocating as a way to be more attractive to new and existing businesses. We need to make sure our state and local business regulations are appropriate, transparent and consistent in order to both attract new businesses and retain our current employers.

Yes, the business community touches the lives of every family in Rhode Island, as employers, and service and product providers.

But to have a healthy Rhode Island community, businesses know they must do much more, so that all citizens can fully participate in the future of our quirky and wonderful state. •

Lisa Churchville is the director of college and retirement savings plans for the R.I. Office of the General Treasurer. For 14 years she was president and general manager of WJAR-TV NBC 10.

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