Remarks by Marc Racicot, Former Governor of Montana
Summit on the 21st Century Workforce, June 20, 2001
MCI Center, Washington, DC

Madam Secretary, ladies and gentlemen, it's my great delight to be a very small part of a very large program this afternoon.

I would have to confess to you, as the Governor of the State of Montana, that this notion of work force development became something very personal and intimate to me. I can recall at one point in time it was a rather abstract notion, but it wasn't long before I learned in my official service there that we are all inescapably involved in this enterprise, and rightfully we should be. It simply is not an abstract notion, this notion of work force development, because it impacts inevitably every single member of our community. Without a strong capable work force, we will never have a strong vibrant economy and we clearly will not have strong healthy communities. So we all need to be engaged in this process. It's a very noble and necessary effort to nurture and develop our work force.

And I want to talk to you today about one of the programs that I've been associated with for a long period of time, with the great hope that you might find some merit in it and hopefully have the opportunity to become engaged with it, because it has been unbelievably and overpoweringly successful throughout the course of its 20-year history. I just came from a board meeting at the law offices where I reside, with the America's (?) Board, just having recently taken over the chairmanship. And of course, one of our goals, one of the five promises that we try to make certain are pledged and then ultimately delivered are marketable workplace skills. I first learned about the importance of those opportunities when I became associated with a program called Jobs for America's Graduates. And I have been the chair of that particular organization for the last five years, and been associated with the program for ten years. This is probably the best-kept secret in America. Unfortunately.

It was started by Pierre DuPont when he was the Governor of Delaware. It has been going now for 20 years. We set about to work with about 70,000 young people a year. We have watched over the course of our history some 300,000 young people engaged in this program go on to productive careers, either in the military, to pursue higher education, or to secure employment, and it has been my great privilege to be a part of that process for the last decade.

I know of no other program that provides young people with the daily instruction, counseling, mentoring, motivation, and support necessary for no less than 21 months, to ensure that they stay in school, graduate, and upon graduation secure a quality job or enter into post?secondary education or training. And one of the most important components of this program is its partnership with the private sector. Quite frankly, it simply would not survive in the same condition or with the same possibilities for success if we did not have this public/private partnership. Now existing in 28 states, with legislatures providing support as well, we have had a broad base of support from the private sector. Because of the recognition from the private sector that without investment in work force development, without that strong capable work force, there simply will be no reason to expect that we can make progress in terms of keeping our economy strong and vibrant, as well.

These are young people who are mightily challenged for a variety of different reasons, a lot of young mothers, young fathers, those who have dropped out of high school in the past, all of us engaged in an enterprise trying to make absolutely certain that they achieve a high school degree, that fundamental building block if they hope ultimately to be successful.

When we get these young people into this program, they quickly see that they'll have to work, both at their assignments when it comes time to be scholars, and at being a good citizen. We teach everything from good manners to good citizenship. And as a consequence of that, have a high level of expectation. We also require that they become engaged in community service. It's our full intent that we design a program, implement a program that allows for them to become a full, complete, whole functioning human being, and the success rate is overwhelming and inspirational. Ninety-five percent of the young people who engage in this program in my home state --and nationally 90 percent of these young people - graduate from high school. These are people, young people that otherwise would not graduate from high school. In addition to that, 85 percent of these young people within six months to a year after their graduation, are engaged in one of three positive outcomes, either as a student in an institution of higher learning, in the military, or they are employed in full-time fashion.

As I mentioned, we have had 300,000 young people go through this program over the course of the last 20 years. This is a time, of course, to take stock of where we are, to recommit ourselves once again to work force development. This is an enterprise that will never end. We don't do something today and somehow have the issue surrounding work force develop solved forever. This is an endeavor that requires a long-term commitment, some endurance. You know, not many people quote Calvin Coolidge any m ore. As a matter of fact, I'm not altogether certain that anybody ever quoted Calvin Coolidge, but he did say something that was, I think, precisely true in reference to so many of our human assignments and our human responsibilities, and that is, "In the end, the only important quality may be endurance."

And when it comes to work force development, we're going to try some things that work, we're going to try some things that have a moderate degree of success, and some things that do not work. But the important commitment is to make sure that we remain engaged in the enterprise of developing our work force. It is the humane thing to do, it's the right thing to do, and we all are impacted inevitably in whether or not we are successful. As Calvin Coolidge mentioned, the world is full of unfulfilled genius, and in the end it is persistence that will carry us through those difficult moments and ultimately lead to success.

So it's my great hope that all of you here engage in this process, certainly perhaps more knowledgeable than I, will remain committed to that process and that you'll also recognize the extraordinary value of your partnership. Without your involvement, your guidance, your direction, your insight, your intuition, we simply would not be able to be as effective as we are.

So I ask for you to endure, to bring that counsel and advice to this process, to maintain these wonderful partnerships, to celebrate your successes and to once again recommit yourself to the future.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to join me on a trip to Sunnydale, California.