Jayne: Funding education prepares students to be workers

Let’s talk about education.

I know, I know, it sometimes seems that is all we talk about in this state — even if we’re talking a failure to talk about it. The Legislature, after all, has spent the past six years attempting to meet its paramount duty of fully funding basic education, and the only thing that often drowns out that discussion is the cacophony from commentators and critics.

But as lawmakers attempt once again this year to bring some finality to the debate, it is notable that one entity just might be able to cut through the noise. That entity is the Washington Roundtable, a think tank of sorts made up of senior executives from many of the state’s most notable companies. While some — particularly teachers’ unions — are likely to suggest that the roundtable is merely adding to the noise, the roundtable has some ideas that are worth consideration; to paraphrase an old TV commercial, when Microsoft or Boeing or Starbucks speak, people listen.

Last year, the Washington Roundtable released a report from The Boston Consulting Group that included some ear-catching numbers. You know, things like Washington is expected to have 740,000 job openings over the next five years — a rate that is nearly three times the expected national average. Among those openings, 35 percent are expected to be “career jobs,” the kind that offer good salaries and a clear path for upward mobility. About 45 percent are expected to be “pathway jobs,” which provide a route to a career job, and 20 percent are expected to be entry-level positions.

As always, these numbers might or might not prove accurate; economics is a science, yet an imperfect one. But if you would rather not hold your breath waiting for Donald Trump to bring back coal-mining jobs, Washington is a pretty good place to be.

“Sounds great!” I can hear you saying. “What’s the catch?” Ah, good question. Because good jobs will require something on the part of those who desire to fill them. The estimate is that more than 90 percent of the people who fill career positions will have some sort of college education or professional credential. You won’t need that Ph.D. in women’s studies, but you just might need to be a licensed electrician.