Ideas in Development

A consulting buddy of mine used to say that "there are three modes of existence in life and in economic development - you can flourish, cope or die."

This is the pickle that both the U.S. and North Carolina find themselves in today as the recession takes its toll in the form of permanent layoffs, rising joblessness and falling incomes and tax receipts.

Our failures to adapt our schooling and training systems for the 21st century are hindering our quest for a more resilient workforce and a better, more sustainable, and more widely shared standard of living. In short, we're coping and staving off death rather than thriving.