DATE: Tuesday, November 18, 1997            TAG: 9711180297

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: SEATTLE                           LENGTH:   59 lines

LOCAL DELEGATION LEARNS A LESSON IN SEATTLE: INVEST IN EDUCATION

A delegation of Hampton Roads government and business leaders, visiting this city to learn how to lure high-tech jobs, has picked up some investment advice: Start with education.

The group of more than 60 representatives on the three-day trip, sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, heard Monday from Seattle-area politicians, business people and educators. All sounded a similar theme: the economy is linked primarily to an educated work force.

While shortages of qualified job applicants remain a problem around the nation, and particularly in Seattle, the city's leaders say they are developing and supporting programs that begin in grade schools and continue into universities and community colleges.

``A locally available work force is one of the first things businesses ask about when they come to town,'' said Jean Floten, president of Bellevue Community College, just east of downtown Seattle.

At Bellevue, Floten said, workers are trained, retrained and provided upgraded skills for the quickly advancing high-tech industry. The school has formed a partnership with businesses to develop industry standards so employers know what they are getting.

The Hampton Roads group also was told about the value of a research institution to economic development.

The University of Washington in Seattle has established programs to develop new technology, to apply existing technology to commercial uses, to find funding, and to start and support companies, said President Richard McCormick.

The school has contributed $3 billion in economic activity in the state, and 50,000 jobs, he said.

Since 1975, research at the school has led to the creation of 60 companies. Technology developed at the school includes a kit to measure bone loss that is used in treating osteoporosis, a portable ultrasound device and software to search the Internet.

While job training and business development are offered in Hampton Roads at Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University, local officials complain that the state of Virginia isn't contributing enough funding. They also have said there isn't enough cooperation among government, business and education.

Hans Gant, executive director of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, a public-private partnership formed to market the region to business, pointed out that public officials often ask about educational opportunities.

``They ask me about ongoing certified industry programs and if our schools cater to specific industries,'' Gant said.

For example, the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies agreed to locate in Chesapeake after ODU pledged to develop a program to meet company needs in areas such as insurance licensing and adjusting.

TCC does its part for economic development by training students in such disciplines as computer science technology.

But after the day's lecture, Gant said he is convinced that the region needs to invest more in its schools.

``When specific industries look at the region, there is no critical mass,'' he said. ``That makes me think we have some work to do.'' KEYWORDS: CONFERENCE

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