Countries can’t lead in a global economy without highly trained workers. That’s why states are hustling to get more students signed on for courses in science, engineering, technology and mathematics. In Virginia, six new academies — in the cities of Suffolk and Newport News and Arlington and Halifax, Russell and Stafford counties — will provide this instruction at the high-school and post-secondary levels. They are being developed through a partnership among public schools, colleges and universities, employers, businesses and the state.

Partnership is the key word here. States can’t do it alone. Many face budget shortfalls caused by drops in tax revenue as a result of the housing slump. Funding for what will be known in Virginia as the Governor’s Career and Technical Academies comes from a $500,000 grant from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. It receives support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Intel Corp. 

Virginia was one of six states to get a grant. The money will be matched with support from federal Workforce Investment Act funds. Meanwhile, in high-tech California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to attract 20,000 new engineers over the next decade by taking a similar approach. He supports the use of $1 million in federal workforce funds to develop apprentice programs between community colleges and private industry.

Virginia Business will report on Virginia’s workforce development program in its March issue. For stories on the country’s growing shortage of engineers and what Virginia is doing about it, go here.