STATE of CONNECTICUT

BY HER EXCELLENCY

M. JODI RELL

GOVERNOR

Executive Order No. 2A

Executive Order No. 2 is hereby repealed in its entirety and replaced with the text hereof:

WHEREAS, Connecticut’s economic competitiveness is vital to preserving the quality of life that Connecticut residents have come to expect; and

WHEREAS, talent and innovation are key to maintaining the state’s competitive advantage and economic success and will, in turn, lead to new company formation and job growth;  and

WHEREAS, Connecticut’s historic commitment to education and workforce development has been a major factor in the state’s economic success in the past by generating the skilled talent and innovative industrial processes required to support economic growth;  and

WHEREAS, it is vital that this legacy continue so that Connecticut business and industry will have the skilled talent necessary to support the high levels of innovation that will be required in the future to successfully compete in the global knowledge-based economy and in developing green collar jobs;  and

WHEREAS, new product advancement, new company formation and business relocation into the state --  all critical components of growing new jobs – are increasingly dependent upon the availability of skilled talent;  and

WHEREAS, for students and workers, 21^st century talent is measured in terms of achievement and mastery of core subjects including science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as communication, problem-solving and interpersonal skills and language proficiency; and

WHEREAS, the 21^st century talent pipeline must be all-inclusive and diverse and must operate as a seamless continuum, encompassing the state’s early childhood education efforts at one end and world-class research and development and entrepreneurship at the other;  and

WHEREAS, Connecticut’s approach to P-20 education – early childhood, elementary and secondary schools, colleges and graduate schools – must therefore be better integrated with 21^st century skill requirements for employment in Connecticut;  more adaptive to the use of technology in teaching and learning and using the significant technology infrastructure currently available through the Connecticut Education Network and the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium; and better poised to increase interest and achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and

WHEREAS, growing 21^st century talent is no longer the province of any single agency, but necessarily involves multiple entities functioning in collaborative ways with a unified purpose;  

NOW, THEREFORE,  I, M. Jodi Rell, Governor of the State of Connecticut, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Connecticut, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1.      There shall be established The Connecticut Commission for the Advancement of 21^st Century Skills and Careers which will develop strategies and make recommendations to the Governor to ensure that Connecticut’s workforce possesses the skills necessary to succeed and prosper in the 21^st century workplace; to advance innovation through research and development, product development and new venture development;  to enrich existing talent by retraining existing workers  for occupations experiencing skill shortages and providing structured 21^st century career pathways; and to promote the development of training programs for green collar jobs.

2.      The Commissioners of Education and Higher Education shall co-chair the Commission and shall appoint other members to the Commission, which members shall include the Executive Director of the Office for Workforce Competitiveness and the Commissioners of Economic and Community Development and Labor. 

3.      The Office for Workforce Competitiveness shall provide administrative support for the Commission and shall coordinate efforts among state agencies, public and private colleges and universities, and quasi-public agencies whose missions relate to the development and mastery of 21^st century skills and career paths.

4.      The Office for Workforce Competitiveness may contract with outside agencies to support the work of the Commission. 

This order shall take effect immediately.

Dated at Hartford this 13th day of January 2009.

________________________________

M. Jodi Rell

Governor

By Her Excellency’s Command:

________________________________

Susan Bysiewicz

Secretary of the State