Staying a step ahead

Leaders say schools must keep the state’s industries competitive

Friday, April 28, 2006

Education is the key if Maryland’s science and technology industries hope to stay competitive nationally and globally, according to a report to be released next week by the University of Maryland, College Park.

And that doesn’t mean just improving students’ science and math abilities. Business leaders must make their presence felt — and needs known — in the classroom, said state and business officials at a conference Wednesday at the university.

‘‘Business really, really needs to get involved. I personally believe the business sector has not jumped into this issue,” said Gino Gemignani, chairman of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s Workforce Investment Board and senior vice president of Whiting-Turner Construction in Baltimore.

Gemignani said he has experienced the statewide workforce shortage and emphasized the need for the government, education and business sectors to develop a high-technology workforce.

‘‘We’re providing their future workforce; they should certainly be at the table,” he said.

The conference, sponsored by almost 20 organizations, featured six panel discussions with about 250 of the state’s entrepreneurs, educators and business officials to iron out a comprehensive plan for Maryland to increase its competitiveness in tech industries.

It was the first statewide meeting on the issue since a National Academies group issued a report last year that warned of the lack of educational training in science and technology fields, according to Neil Tickner, a school spokesman.

The problem, according to state officials, starts with students who are not interested in pursuing science- and technology-based jobs, elementary school teachers who don’t understand the importance of applying math and science to daily practice, and the need to improve how science is taught.

The challenge is getting Maryland residents to fill science and technology jobs, said Barbara Krumsiek, president and CEO of Calvert Group Ltd., a Bethesda mutual fund company with about 200 employees, and chairwoman-elect of the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

Last summer, Prince George’s Community College in Largo issued its own report that detailed the growing shortage of skilled workers. The problem will likely worsen in the next five years, as baby boomers retire, creating a void in executive and middle-management positions.

Besides workforce and education issues, Wednesday’s conference also included panels examining Maryland’s commitment to long-term basic research and incentives for innovation, entrepreneurship and tech transfer.

Finding an answer may prove difficult for state officials.

‘‘There is no single solution,” said Edward Montgomery, dean of the university’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. ‘‘It’s that future we have to worry about. The future is coming quicker and quicker.”

But James D. Fielder Jr., secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, suggested the future is now.

‘‘People talk about a gathering storm, but it’s already here,” Fielder said.