People often complain that students graduate from high school without learning the skills they need to be successful in life. They are usually referring to basic life skills, pointing out that many recent graduates can’t balance a checkbook, cook a decent meal or do their own laundry.
Even worse, many new graduates enter the workforce without the basic skills needed to succeed on the job. Some of those skills are referred to as soft skills, like arriving on time and avoiding leaving early or abusing sick leave. Employees must be able to think critically and organize their work effectively. They must function well as part of a team, get along well with their coworkers, and respond to customers appropriately.
Some people also think that much of what is taught in high school and college is out of touch with the real world, leaving new graduates lacking in the technical skills required to succeed in the world of work. While every business is different, all jobs require specific knowledge and abilities. Technical skills can include knowing what tools are needed to compete an assignment or how to operate specific equipment, like a cash register or drill press, or having the ability to use specific computer programs.
When new graduates enter the workforce with soft and technical skills employers get well-trained workers with solid work ethics and the new employees are more successful and happier. Consequently, more and more schools and employers are getting together to build a better workforce. They are forming public-private partnerships.
Public-private partnerships are contractual agreements between federal, state or government agencies and private companies. The partners agree to work together to complete a project or provide a service to the general population. They often bring together educational institutions, private sector businesses, non-profits, governmental organizations, and community economic development stakeholders like the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation’s Local Economic Development committee. These partnerships improve local and regional economies.
Some partnerships focus on workforce development. Great local examples of this are the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Western New York Pathways to Technology (P-TECH) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Academy in Dunkirk and the Raymond J. Fashano Technical Academy in Jamestown.
Other partnerships focus on infrastructure projects, like building and equipping hospitals; schools; transportation, water, and sewage systems. Sometimes partnerships involve private organizations providing public services or assisting the government in providing those services, like immunizations. A classic example of an economic development public–private partnership was the one formed between the king and queen of Spain and Christopher Columbus as they endeavored to find a new trade route.
These are just a few examples of how our world can improve for everyone when governmental entities collaborate with private businesses. It’s a highly effective way to make exciting things happen. Regardless of its form, public–private partnerships benefit us all by creating improvements more efficiently and cost effectively than happens when public and private entities work alone.
Public–private partnerships help communities prosper. We need more of them.