Studer Community Institute

Guest commentary: Education crucial link to job growth

March 24, 2015
/ Carol Carlan
/ studer-community-institute

As we continue to see business growth within the Greater Pensacola region, it is important for us to understand the vital role education plays in helping to develop and maintain economic prosperity. The 2014 Pensacola Metro Report by the Studer Community Institute does a wonderful job of outlining the ties between our education system and how it can dramatically impact the future of our community. As chair of the Greater Pensacola Chamber Board of Directors, I’d like to share with you a couple of key takeaways I gathered while analyzing the report, which I believe can help drive the conversation on ways we as a region can improve our education efforts. [sidebar] Editor's note: In the 2014 Pensacola Metro Report, education emerged as this community’s top priority. As a result the Studer Community Institute staff in February launched the Pensacola Education Report 2015. A series of stories in three-part installments looked at, among other issues, the history of the FCAT, students, principals and teachers who are making a difference and building better readers in early education. To provide insight and perspective, the Institute invited people in the Pensacola Metro area from various walks of life to share their thoughts and impressions of the Education Report. [/sidebar] — Early childhood readiness continues to be a problem for many children and families in our area, especially those in low-income sections. According to the Studer report, nearly a third of Escambia County’s children entering kindergarten are not ready for school. What is even more staggering is that 28.5 percent or 1,049 of 4-year-olds in the county are not enrolled in a Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) education program, and there is strong evidence showing that children who participate in high-quality pre-K programs are more ready to learn than their peers. Exposing our children to a variety of words, books and math skills at an early age will not only produce better students as they grow older, but will also help deepen the pool of productive, intelligent employees for local businesses in the future. — Education is also a crucial component of job growth, and studies have shown that high school graduates tend to earn more income during their lifetime than those who do not have a diploma or GED. Over the next several days, read what they have to say at PensacolaToday.com and StuderInstitute.com. Although the Studer report outlines ways in which our education system has made improvements over the years, we must still realize that companies look at the performance of public education when making decisions to relocate or expand their business in our region. If we want to position Greater Pensacola as a leader for business retention, expansion and attraction – whether big or small – our students must be given the tools, funding and support they need to succeed, which in turn means a renewed workforce for our local economy. Improving our area’s education system will not happen overnight and will most likely take much time. But with the collaboration of education partners, elected officials, business leaders and the community as a whole, I am more than confident that we can reinvest in resources and efforts that will enable our children to compete in an ever-changing economy for years to come. The first step to improving the education and future of our children is to be aware of where we stand as a region. Many thanks to the Studer Community Institute for bringing that awareness to us in these valuable reports. Now it’s time to get our entire community behind changing this trend. As advocates for business and prosperity, the Greater Pensacola Chamber will be doing its part to change the trends, and I urge you to read these reports and share with others for the betterment of Northwest Florida.

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Guest commentary: Education crucial link to job growth

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