Southern Illinois University-Carbondale WED
468-3
Department of Workforce Education & Development
Page
13
Economic development in the United States is dependent on the existence of
healthy businesses and industries utilizing a competent workforce. It is very important
to start on a positive note when considering how the educational sector can establish
linkages with business, industry, labor, government, and military (BIL/GM). We have
the capability to solve our national workforce problems, if we link and coordinate our
individual efforts.
Workforce Education linkages are relationships between employers and
providers that exist for the purpose of providing job-specific training to a targeted group
of employees or people preparing to enter the workforce by pooling resources and
working together to achieve common goals.
Employers and educators have an equal stake in the preparation of a competent
workforce. Questions to consider:
·
How does a linkage happen?
·
Are successful linkages present?
·
Who
benefits?
·
What costs are involved?
·
Who should link?
·
Who assumes responsibility for initiating a linkage?
·
How does one develop linkages?
Speaking to a Workforce Education and Development WED 468 class at
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale on November 7, 2001, Illinois Representative
Mike Bost said, "We build coalitions to move ideas forward." He also said that it is all
"about compromising" so that ideas will work for both parties. What does linkage have
to do with educators? What relationship does linkage have to the health of the
American economy?