Abstract
Despite high rates of unemployment, research indicates that employers are having a difficult time finding workers that have the knowledge and skills needed for available jobs. President Obama, state lawmakers, and national higher education associations are calling upon educational institutions to not only fill the current gap but to reach aggressive goals set for educational attainment in the U.S. by 2020. This article looks at a historical view of how education has met workforce needs in the past, employment projections, employer needs, and how educational institutions might respond to the call to develop a highly skilled workforce. In addition, a model designed to partner industry and education in the development of educational curriculum is offered to promote conversation as to how to better prepare workers and future graduates with the competencies and employability skills needed to perform in an ever-changing workforce.