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WA business leaders call for early learning investment to narrow job skills gap

The solution is to invest more in the early years, when children develop the foundation for these soft skills that are increasingly in demand, and will be even more highly valued in the future.

One of the biggest problems facing the Washington state economy is that there are not enough skilled workers to fill all the open jobs, and one of the solutions to this skills gap is to invest more in early learning, a new report says.

As Washington was mired in the recent historic recession in late 2009 and early 2010, 10,000 jobs went unfilled in the state, even though 300,000 residents were receiving unemployment benefits, according to the report released by the business group America’s Edge today. These jobs largely stayed vacant because there simply were not enough qualified workers, the report added. While the skills gap existed before the recession, it got worse during the downturn and is expected to widen in the coming years.

by Paul Nyhan

Full Story: http://birthtothrive.thrivebyfivewa.org/post/2011/02/17/Washington-Business-Leaders-Call-for-Early-Learning-Investment-to-Narrow-Job-Skills-Gap.aspx

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