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Tuesday, November 2, 1999

A&M-CC president: Unity can grow workforce
Furgason calls for educators, industry leaders to work together to better train Texas workers
By Lisa Falkenberg
Scripps Howard Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - Higher education, industry leaders and small business owners must join together to grow the workforce Texas needs for the next century, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi President Robert Furgason said Monday.
   That workforce should be educated and skilled for jobs in the technology or manufacturing industries, Furgason said at a conference sponsored by the Texas Department of Economic Development.
   "Education at all levels has to work very closely with our business industry sector,'' Furgason said. "They have to link very closely together to make sure that the work force that is (being formed) is the one that's appropriate for the growth of our economy.''
   The conference examined partnerships between academic, economic and workforce development practitioners in Texas.
   Small businesses should be able to tap into college and university resources to develop products and train workers, Furgason said. And local industry should instruct colleges and universities on the types of workers they need, he said.
   "Industry has to be an active participator in this, not just one that stands back and says 'hey wait a minute, things aren't happening the way we would like them.' They have to invest in the process, both in terms of time and dollars because they have truly a vested interest.''
   Many community colleges and universities are supporting emerging businesses by providing assistance programs, Furgason said. Such programs help businesses do everything from researching product ideas to applying for patents to training workers.
   More than half of Texas colleges and universities have federally sponsored Small Business Development Centers, said Robert Witt, president of the University of Texas at Arlington.
   Community colleges are starting to take a leading role in training workers, said William Wenrich, chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District.
   In many cases, training means more than job skills. More than one-quarter of Texans are functionally illiterate, according to the Texas Education Agency. In the Dallas County system, the most commonly taken course is remedial math, Wenrich said.




Scripps Howard Austin Bureau writer Lisa Falkenberg can be reached at (512) 478-9644.

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