Education key to maintaining the position of the United States in a flat world

Its been a long while since I blogged here, but this article resonated with me, especially after attending a panel discussion on Knowledge Process Outsourcing today morning (organized by the Midwest chapter of the Pan-IIT Alumni organization)

This quote from DuPont's CEO, Chad Holliday's keynote at University of Delaware sponsored report on 'Creating Knowledge based Partnerships' exemplifies the importance of investment in technical education in the United States.

"... [Chad] told the audience he was jogging in South Korea at around 6 a.m. one day and noticed a large group of young people massed around a building. Holliday assumed that tickets to a rock concert were about to go on sale and the young people were lining up to get good seats. When he returned to his hotel he asked what was going on. The hotel staff told him the building was the public library and young people gather there every morning so they can get a good seat to study all day. “That’s the kind of [attitude] being developed in South Korea, which is one of our competitors.”"

According to the report, "Declining scientific research and development expertise threatens to undermine the competitiveness of U.S. corporations and erode the nation’s standard of living, according to the chief executive of DuPont Co."

IT outsourcing is only the tip of the iceberg. With the growing outsourcing of other 'Knowledge' functions, the United States needs to encourage technical education and invest more money into research. Encouraging the assimilation of the best and brightest minds from around the world is key to the future of the US. Opening up of immigration opportunities for these minds is a step forward in this direction.