New Report: Improved educational attainment, including a greater percentage of ¼ϲns completing college, is vital to the state’s economic future
Statement from ¼ϲ Chair Lyndel Manson
Background: A coalition of the state’s most prominent business and economic groups – ¼ϲ Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Southern ¼ϲ Leadership Council; Northern ¼ϲ Leadership Alliance and the Greater Phoenix Chamber – commissioned an analysis by Rounds Consulting Group into the linkage between ¼ϲ’s lagging rate of educational attainment and our economic output. The result – “” – clearly demonstrates the need for further state investment in postsecondary education and the economic ROI at-stake.
“This vital analysis is a compelling and clear-eyed call to action for additional state investment in postsecondary education and workforce development at a time when evidence suggests ¼ϲ is falling behind. If current trends continue, fewer than 17% of today’s 9th graders will have earned a university degree by 2029. During this same time period, the report estimates ¼ϲ will annually issue 26,300 fewer bachelor’s degrees than our economy needs.
“Taken together, these troubling statistics are symptomatic of a chronic low rate of educational attainment in ¼ϲ that both limits individual upward mobility and is a recipe for future economic stagnation.
“In order to foster and support the vibrant economy ¼ϲ seeks, this report demonstrates the need for added investment in postsecondary education and workforce development – as well as the economic risks if ¼ϲ continues on its current trajectory.
“This report on ‘Advancing ¼ϲ’s Economy’ is essential reading for every state and local policymaker, business official and education leader, and should serve as a wake-up call for ¼ϲ to act before it’s too late.”
Contact:
Sarah Harper, 602-229-2542, 602-402-1341 | Sarah.K.Harper@azregents.edu