Business Power: Creating New Wealth from IP Assets

Chapter 5. Human Capital: The Forsaken Resource

ED PARADISE

America has shown the rest of the world that for individual competence and capabilities to function creatively there must be a strong educational and individual value system that can grow and prosper from one generation to the next.

Key Points to Look For

• America’s future economic prosperity rests with its educational system to produce educated people.

• America is not producing employable people to support the nation’s workforce needs; this means outsourcing to other nations must grow and immigration must continue.

• The United States has fallen to 16th place among the developed nations of the world in graduation rates; our nation’s competitive position can be expected to follow.

• Only 18 out of every 100 high school graduates will complete a college curriculum within six years.

• IP is the substance of invention and requires creative minds to realize the promise of America—what we call the American dream.

Forsaken Resource

Speaking about our nation’s workforce as a forsaken or forgotten resource seems a bit harsh, and to many it might sound disrespectful. However, from the author’s perspective, America’s workforce is not just the raw material for corporate endeavor but is also the platform for a productive and happy life for everyone. Education has maturation and socialization components as adolescents struggle through the crisis years ...