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When I get economic development calls from business leaders who are considering relocating or expanding in Arkansas, the abilities of our workforce are always a critical part of the conversation.

Businesses need to define what they need so training providers can offer up the right training.

A well-trained workforce is critical to small-business success. What I hear from business is that it's hard to find help that meets their needs.

We need more partnerships like Vigor Industrial and Portland Community College where men and women in search of a career can get the training they need to get hired right out of school.

Through the Committee on Education and the Workforce, we need to ensure we are educating a future generation to achieve a workforce for the 21st century. I believe the best education solutions come from those closest to the students: state and local entities.

In an undergraduate business environment, the best learning experience is the interaction students have with each other. They need to learn from each other as much as from professors and lectures and other teaching tools.

With nearly all students leaving public high school having taken some vocational education, this bill continues to provide communities with the funding necessary to give students an edge on career training.

We've got to be delivering young people, and people that are getting reeducated, people who are getting reemployed, into the marketplace with skills to work together, to understand computers, and to be able to be a part of that 21st century economy.

Developing skills is as important as training. A larger effort is needed to create a skilled workforce with employment potential.

Vocational education programs have made a real difference in the lives of countless young people nationwide; they build self-confidence and leadership skills by allowing students to utilize their unique gifts and talents.