Five Keys to Success
Southwestern Pennsylvania – the Pittsburgh Region –can be one of the most successful regions in the world if its citizens and leaders focus on one overarching goal: job creation.
JOBS have to be the #1 priority for the Pittsburgh Region right now. Although the region lags in population growth, higher job growth will attract new residents and keep young people in the region, which will increase the population and help create even more jobs.
How can we create more jobs in the Pittsburgh Region?
There are 5 key strategies to pursue:
#1. Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Companies create jobs. What creates (and sustains) companies? New ideas! Most of the jobs in the Pittsburgh Region today came from ideas that were created here and from companies that were started here 10, 20, or even 100 years ago.
And most of the new jobs in the future will come from new ideas and new companies created here – if the region provides the necessary support for innovation and entrepreneurship.
#2. Competitive Business Climate
It’s not enough to have new ideas and generate new products and services. The companies that provide the products and services must compete globally on both quality and cost in order to grow and create jobs. In order for the Pittsburgh Region to successfully attract and retain these companies, it must provide a competitive business climate that enables companies to grow rapidly.
#3. Quality Education
Most of the jobs of the future will require workers that have a quality education. While a growing number of jobs will require college or other post-secondary degrees, the majority of jobs, both now and in the future, will require proficiency in the skills taught in primary and secondary schools.
In order to be competitive in the global marketplace, businesses will need workers who are proficient in basic skills, and workers will need to be proficient in these skills in order to obtain and keep good quality jobs.
#4. High Quality of Life
The Pittsburgh Region has a natural resource that few other communities can match – its high quality of life. Combining good job opportunities with a high quality of life will enable the region to attract and retain the young people who will sustain the economy in the future.
#5. Marketing and Promotion
What good is a great product or service if potential customers don’t know about it? Just as successful companies develop and execute successful marketing strategies, the Pittsburgh Region must effectively market and promote its assets – those that exist today and the improvements that will be made in the future – in order to realize its full potential for job growth.
Comments? Suggestions for changes or additions?
Send an email to Comments@PittsburghFuture.com