Yesterday, Gov. Jay Inslee released a Working Washington agenda, aimed at: “revitalizing Washington’s economy, creating jobs and ensuring we have workers with the knowledge and skills to fill those jobs.”
The Governor’s agenda includes a range of proposals in STEM education, targeted tax relief & regulatory reform, aerospace training, clean energy & climate, and health care.
In terms of Higher Education, the Governor spelled out two priority areas:
- Create competitive STEM enrollment pool for baccalaureate institutions
- Fund engineering enrollments at UW, WSU
The Associated Press has an overview of the proposal, including reactions from state legislators. Read the Governor’s Office policy briefs here.
"The single best thing we can do for job creation is to focus on human intellectual capital." #wagov
— Washington State Governor’s Office (@WAStateGov) February 13, 2013
"Rebuilding our economy begins with education…we need to match worker skills with employer needs." #wagov
— Washington State Governor’s Office (@WAStateGov) February 13, 2013
Watch the press conference via TVW:
[tvw query=”eventID=2013020147&start=&stop=” width=”550″ height=”320″]
In other Olympia news, the House and Senate Higher Education committees are both considering bills this week to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of operations at the state’s public colleges and universities. The bills are HB 1736, and SB 5736.
Finally, be sure to read UW’s Federal Relations blog for in-depth coverage of President Obama’s State of the Union address, which he delivered Tuesday (Feb. 12).