• West Virginia
• Gov. Joe Manchin III
Gov. Joe Manchin III tied education to workforce development in a speech Jan. 11 that focused strongly on bringing more business to West Virginia.
Mr. Manchin, a Democrat in his first term, said that “more good jobs, and more good corporate neighbors,” are on the horizon for the state.
Read a complete transcript of Gov. Joe Manchin III’s 2006 State of the State Address. Posted by West Virginia’s Office of the Governor.
Job Promotion:To prepare for those jobs, the governor touted his state’s participation in an initiative by the Southern Governors Association to promote “reform and rigorous academic preparation for all students.”
West Virginia is one of nine states chosen for that initiative, which is funded by the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gov. Manchin also noted that West Virginia is only the second state to join the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, an advocacy group of education, technology, and business organizations working to bring high-tech skills to state curricula.
West Virginia wants “to make certain our high school graduates have the critical-thinking and communications skills they need to be successful in the global marketplace,” Mr. Manchin said.
Technology: An advisory council picked by the governor to promote and upgrade educational technology will continue its work this year. West Virginia, under the direction of first lady Gayle Manchin, has worked to improve its distance-learning infrastructure.
