Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick: Program key to boosting R.I. economy
Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has written an op-ed in the Providence Journal supporting Governor Raimondo’s Rhode Island Promise Scholarship proposal. Patrick explains how investments in education were key to transforming Massachusetts’ economy. He writes, «The Rhode Island Promise scholarship initiative, supported by Governor Gina Raimondo, is a critical step in that winning strategy.»
In today’s economy, approximately 7 out of 10 jobs require some advanced training beyond high school—but 6 out of 10 Rhode Islanders lack that training. To make up that deficit, we must invest in higher education—our economy and our future depend on it.
As Patrick says, «By investing for the long-term interests of everybody, Rhode Island can take her rightful place in, and make ample contribution to, our region’s prosperity. The Governor’s Rhode Island Promise initiative is a big step in that direction.
Program key to boosting R.I. economy
A decade ago, Massachusetts ranked 47th out of 50 states for job growth. We had suffered the largest labor force shrinkage in the nation and we were losing manufacturing jobs twice as fast as the rest of the nation. Our population was in steady decline.
And then came the Great Recession.
In my time as governor, I preached constantly about the importance of generational responsibility, of governing for the long-term by investing time, ideas and money in education, innovation and infrastructure in every part of our state. After eight years of such investments, Massachusetts is a model state.
We recovered from the recession more quickly and more successfully than the rest of the country. In fact, when I left office, Massachusetts ranked first in the nation in student achievement, health-care coverage, entrepreneurial activity and venture funding, and was deemed in one study the most economically competitive state in America. Our budgets were responsible and balanced and our bond rating was the highest in our history. Young people and families are moving into Massachusetts again. Just recently, U.S. News & World Report ranked Massachusetts the best state in the nation.
We set out to revive the American Dream. And while we have work yet to do in our commonwealth, I am convinced from our experience that strategies focused on reviving the American Dream both work and matter.
That’s why I am so encouraged by the approach Rhode Island is taking. And Rhode Islanders are seeing real progress: For the first time since 2005, the Ocean State’s unemployment rate is below the national average and the state’s private sector employment is at an all-time high.
The Rhode Island Promise scholarship initiative, supported by Governor Gina Raimondo, is a critical step in that winning strategy. The governor has proposed to guarantee every student an opportunity to attend the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College or the University of Rhode Island tuition free for two years. That modest investment is both good policy and good business.
We invested in education in Massachusetts because, in today’s knowledge-based economy, that’s the single best way to prepare our people for work and for life. We invested in innovation because focusing on industries that depend on our brainpower is the best way to play to our strengths. The Rhode Island Promise initiative accomplishes both of these and will go a long way to ensure that Rhode Island residents are ready to compete for the jobs the region’s companies are creating.
This is a key truth about today’s economy. Our regional economy is increasingly knowledge- and skills-based. Industries such as advanced manufacturing, information-technology, biotech and green energy are driving growth today, in their own sectors as well as in building trades and the service sectors. Their growth depends on well-prepared talent.
Today being well-prepared means more education. That could mean community college, a certificate from a trade school, or a bachelor’s degree. According to a study by Georgetown University, 72 percent of the jobs created in Massachusetts require a degree or credential past high school. That’s nearly identical to the reality in Rhode Island. Yet only about four in 10 Rhode Islanders have completed a degree or certificate beyond high school.
That’s where the Rhode Island Promise scholarship comes in. By making education beyond high school truly accessible to every resident, this initiative gives every Rhode Islander an opportunity to compete for good paying jobs in our region’s economy, and puts the American Dream back within reach.
In many ways, from the perspective of a shifting economy, Rhode Island today looks like Massachusetts did 10 years ago. By investing for the long-term interests of everybody, Rhode Island can take her rightful place in, and make ample contribution to, our region’s prosperity. The governor’s Rhode Island Promise initiative is a big step in that direction.
Deval Patrick is the former governor of Massachusetts.