Competitiveness Top on the Agenda at Governors Winter Meeting

WASHINGTON—A group of U.S. private sector leaders today joined the nation’s governors to strengthen American innovation capacity and competitiveness. Douglas J. McCarron, vice chair of the Council on Competitiveness and president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, joined Gov. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ), chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), to sign a memorandum of understanding between the two groups. McCarron and Napolitano formalized the agreement at the start of the NGA winter meeting in Washington.

The agreement is a key component of “Innovation America,” Napolitano’s NGA Chair’s Initiative. NGA and the Council will advise the nation’s governors on activities that will foster state economic competitiveness, such as improving science and math education, enhancing worker training and promoting regional innovation.

During the governors meeting, the two groups will unveil a new federal legislative proposal to help states and regions accelerate innovation. Each governor will also receive a new guidebook to help states and regions compete globally.

“The nation’s governors are an important voice in the national innovation and competitiveness debate,” said McCarron. “The agreement is a watershed, exemplifying the governors’ commitment to the public and private sector partnerships necessary to advance U.S. competitiveness. Addressing workforce training issues will be particularly important to maintaining U.S. competitiveness and ensuring a rising standard of living for all Americans.”

The states are vital contributors to U.S. competitiveness. They are major investors in workforce training through funding of public schools, community and technical colleges and universities. States are also responsible for the infrastructure that makes global commerce possible, including roads, bridges, highways, ports, local transit and communications connectivity.

States also play a critical role in cultivating regional economies, which are increasingly the places where global competition plays out. This trend was highlighted in the Council’s 2006 flagship publication, Competitiveness Index: Where America Stands. The Index notes that more states and regions are participating in the global economy as a result of technology, and that the linkages among locations have increased dramatically.

“The United States can no longer compete on low-wage, low-skilled jobs,” said Deborah L. Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness. “We must focus on our uniquely American strengths by leveraging the innovative ideas and inventions that have made the United States the economic leader of the world.”

Strengthening U.S. innovation as the foundation of U.S. competitiveness is an important priority for the Council on Competitiveness. During the past three years, the Council led a public and private sector effort that made innovation a top-tier policy issue. The Council’s National Innovation Initiative generated groundbreaking proposals to strengthen the U.S. workforce, revitalize investment in basic science, research and development, and expand the infrastructure needed to create high value services and products.