PCIC HOLDS 2ND ANNUAL TUCSON COMMUNITY SUMMIT -
... attended by 135 leaders of 60 key community institutions, and sponsored by a diverse range of organizations including the Tucson Association of Realtors, the Alliance of Construction Trades, and the Community Partnership for Southern Arizona. At the summit, Dr. Paul Osterman, professor of economics and Dean of the Sloan School of Management at MIT joined us, and shared with us several key ideas.
First, economic growth and equity are complementary, not contradictory notions. We must resist the idea that economic development necessitates a small number of winners and a great many losers. Rather, equity, or shared prosperity, is both desirable and achievable.
His second key point was that during economic recessions, the cities with better skilled or trained workers recover faster because those workers have the flexibility to move from business to business or industry to industry.
Third, when economic hard times come, and we all know that we are in hard times, this is the time to invest in job training and other workforce development strategies. When times are good, there is a high opportunity cost associated with pulling people out of the workforce and into job training. When times are bad, however, that is the best time to invest in human development.
On April 5, with mentoring by Dr. Osterman, PCIC and other community leaders took information and action plans formed at the Summit into day-long workshops at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church. Workshop descriptions
