While economic development people talk of the six high-tech clusters they see as vital to Tucson's future, the word is now also being applied to education and research developers who help develop the workforce for these industries.

Nancy Russell, acting dean of Workforce and Business Development for Pima Community College, says the college works closely with economic research developers to forecast expected job growth trends over the next 10 years.

Tied closely to the President George W. Bush's initiative on job growth trends, Pima breaks the trends down for the state, then Southern Arizona, and then Pima County. Anything in the "bio" arena is big, as in biotechnology, biomechanical, and biopharmaceutical. Health care and transportation are also vital to the future economy, Russell said.

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Pima not only tracks where students get placed, "but it gives us the ability to move forward with where we want to go with future programs.," Russell said.

All programs are reviewed on an ongoing basis; new ones are created and those that aren't working are made inactive. A major goal is the ability to obtain an associates degree in two years, she said.

"Our traditional student is really a non-traditional student," Russell explained. "Many of the students are in the workforce, either part or full-time, so we offer a variety of day, evening, weekend and distance learning. The Web-based classes are growing phenomenally."

From a high-tech business standpoint, the college hosts Pima County's Small Business Development Center. The center does consulting for small business owners and works closely with entrepreneurs.

The Small Business Development Center and the Microbusiness Advancement Center (MAC), work closely together.

"We train and they develop and council," said MAC Executive Director Mary Guensfelder-Cox. "There is a mythology that Tucson has a bunch of different centers that are all doing something different, but our similarities tie together well and keep the continuum. These centers that work together are a variety of clusters, too.

Guensfelder-Cox works with small businesses with five employees or less. MAC offers a 12-week business planning course that involves self-exploration and allows a potential business owner to examine the options. An eight-week business feasibility course covers the specifics of owning a small business. The courses are underwritten by the Small Business Administration and private donors, so they are available to all income levels.

Guensfelder-Cox has found there are key skills that people need to be successful, whether they go to college, go to work, or start their own business. The ability to communicate in writing is essential, since they have to write business plans. The ability to communicate verbally is also non-negotiable.

Her concern regarding the standardized tests in schools is that the students and teachers have been forced to think inside the box.

"We need to be careful that standards don't undo the good stuff," she said.

Another skill entrepreneurs must have to succeed is the ability to take risks, be willing to fail and bounce back.

"We need to keep giving the subtle message that doing something new and different is a good thing," Guensfelder-Cox said.

The Workplace license program implemented at Flowing Wells High School is doing just that. Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Clement says the program works with an advisory committee of local business leaders and focuses on skills that all students need to be successful.

He refers to them as "soft" skills in the industry, but the group, or cluster, of skills is essential in the workplace.

Many of the skills overlap with the entrepreneurial skills that Guensfelder-Cox teaches.

A Flowing Wells student in the program, Aisha Zadran, confirmed that written and oral communications skills are two of the competencies she is mastering to obtain her Workplace license. Other areas include the interview process, résumé writing, and work habits, such as timeliness, professional attire and the manner in which you are perceived by others.

"The benefit of the Workplace license is that it helps any student in any situation," Zadran said. "It holds you accountable for your responsibilities as an employee and lets you know what employers look for."

The program is currently an option for high school students at Flowing Wells, but the goal is that all seniors will graduate with a license, Clement said. The National Occupational Competency Testing, is in place for schools across the country that have adopted similar programs. In some areas, businesses are using the test as a competency assessment.

"We are also looking at businesses sponsoring the test, and in a couple of years, the hope is that businesses will endorse the license by giving the students a bump in pay or an edge in the interview process," Clement said.

As freshmen, students complete a career unit, then go on to have the various skills checked off by a teacher or an employer at an approved business. By making students aware that the skills are valued and needed, and having the teachers support the program, too, there will be an "integration of workplace readiness across the curriculum," Clement said.

Flowing Wells is currently the only high school in the area with the Workforce license program in place.

The educational clusters, from the skills needed to succeed to the cooperative training and community outreach of groups such as MAC and Pima's Workforce Development program, will prepare students and business people to be productive contributors.

Whether people are employed in the high-tech industries or work for themselves, the collaborative and cooperative efforts of a community that is reaching across boundaries will set Tucson apart. The SATC's high tech business initiatives bring the goals of industry and education full circle.

By coordinating and implementing initiatives related to technology commercialization, workforce development and education, the non-profit, entrepreneurial group is positioning Tucson as a growing city in the high-tech arena. New businesses and workers will be attracted, too, and that, in turn, will allow Tucson and its education to keep growing and changing.

Joan Dameron is a Tucson-based freelance writer. Comments regarding this article may be addressed to editor@azbiz.com or by calling (502) 294-1200.