RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, since 1960, the increasing proportion of jobs paying salaries less than the national average has resulted in a decline in Hawaii’s average per capita personal income relative to the United States national average; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii’s economic, social, and environmental future is dependent upon our ability to reverse the decline in the relative average per capita personal income; and

WHEREAS, in the evolving global economy, knowledge is the ingredient that underlies the competitiveness of regions, nations, sectors, and firms; and

WHEREAS, a region's success in the evolving global economy is increasingly dependent upon access to a more highly educated and skilled workforce; and

WHEREAS, workforce projections from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations indicate the need to fill approximately twenty-two thousand jobs per year through 2012, with more than half those jobs requiring education and training beyond the high school level; and

WHEREAS, Department of Education reports indicate that there are not enough young people in the educational system to fill the State's workforce needs in the coming decades; and

WHEREAS, an increasing number of businesses in Hawaii are experiencing difficulties in recruiting, hiring, and retaining skilled workers; and

WHEREAS, the increasing gap between personal income and the cost of housing makes it more difficult to recruit and retain skilled workers from outside Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the growing deficit in skilled workers places severe limits on the Hawaii economy to innovate, grow, and compete in the global marketplace; and

WHEREAS, high-paying jobs require some form of post-secondary education or other specialized training and an increasing number require post-secondary academic degrees or certifications; and

WHEREAS, sustaining the growth of living wage jobs in emerging industries such as health care, bio-sciences, information technologies, and digital media is critical for Hawaii’s economic future and requires access to an educated and skilled workforce if these industries are to attain a larger segment of the Hawaii economy; and

WHEREAS, it is important that an increasing proportion of Hawaii’s residents acquire the education and training necessary for employment in living wage jobs in emerging industries; and

WHEREAS, the presence of responsive high quality post-secondary institutions of higher learning are key to the development and sustainability of a globally competitive economy and workforce; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii system is the State’s primary provider of research, education, and training, and its future success is a key element in the development of a globally competitive economy; and

WHEREAS, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) has facilitated the development of plans in a growing number of states that have evolved from an analysis of comparative state data analysis of existing state policies, the setting of a public agenda for change, and developing a consensus around implementing activities; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University of Hawaii is requested to form a task force on economic development, workforce development, and the role of the University of Hawaii in the economic future; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force be comprised of representatives of the business community, the University of Hawaii and the community colleges, the executive and legislative branches of government, and community-based organizations, including those involved in economic development; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force develop a plan to strengthen the ability of the University of Hawaii to deliver the high quality education, training, and research necessary to create and sustain a more vibrant and diverse economy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to report its findings, conclusions, and recommendations at least twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2006; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Interim President and the Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, and the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Report Title:

TASK FORCE; ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; POST SECONDARY EDUCATION