o be successful in a workplace, a person undoubtedly first needs to succeed in a classroom, and this issue of WorkOne Employer eNews delves into the interconnections between employment and education.

The four articles touch this education-and-work relationship in one way or another.  For instance, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has refocused its efforts to lower barriers that in many respects separate the business and education communities.  The U.S. chamber hopes its newly formed Institute for a Competitive Workforce will help advance initiatives designed to improve education.

Nonetheless, nearly 250,000 young people dropped out of Indiana high schools since 1994, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce said in a report dramatically challenging the state's official estimate of 100,000 dropouts over 12 years ending in 2006.

Meanwhile, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development issued a rosy outlook of 10-percent growth in jobs through 2014, with many positions in construction and other industries requiring "a variety of skills and educational experience."

Finally, the article about the South Bend chapter of Business & Professional Exchange describes the education-and-work relationship from the perspective of out-of-work managers who are learning new job-search skills and techniques to reenter the workforce.

Declaring Prosperity Depends on Skilled Workers, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Unveils Institute for a Competitive Workforce
   National Business Group Hopes Realignment of Resources Will Bridge Chasm between Business and Education Communities
          Go to Story.

Indiana Over-estimated High School Graduation Rate and Under-reported Annual Dropouts, State Chamber says
   'This has serious ... economic consequences ... in this highly competitive global economy,' says Sagamore Researcher
          Go to Story.

Professional Occupations in Hoosier State Forecast To Grow Jobs at nearly 20-percent Rate over Decade
   Workforce Officials See Gains in Construction, Health Care and Biomedical Jobs from 2004-2014
          Go to Story.

Losing Job Brings Trauma for Mid-Career Managers, So WorkOne's Affiliate Program Offers Training and Networking to Open Doors
   Business & Professional Exchange Seeks To Provide Forum to Employers and Networking Skills to Members
          Go to Story.