RI Economy and World Language
Rhode Island's local economy is highly dependent on foreign trade, especially imports and exports. According to the US Global Leadership Coalition:
In addition to international trade, foreign companies contribute about 26,400 jobs in Rhode Island. Creating a more global community through dual language immersion programs would not only help stabilize the local economy, but help create more global positions in Rhode Island.
- International Trade supported nearly 130,000 jobs in Rhode Island in 2011, or 22% of total jobs.
- 15% of all manufacturing workers in Rhode Island depended on exports for their jobs.
- In 2010, 26,000 people in Rhode Island were employed by affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.
In addition to international trade, foreign companies contribute about 26,400 jobs in Rhode Island. Creating a more global community through dual language immersion programs would not only help stabilize the local economy, but help create more global positions in Rhode Island.
Corporate Needs
Currently, local corporations are have a high demand for employees that are professionally proficient in at least two languages.
"Being able to hire German-speaking engineers from the URI International Engineering Program, allowed my company, which was threatened to be closed by its German parent, to stay in Rhode Island and even double its size."
- Andrew Corsini, CEO of Supfina
Quonset Business Park
“The 21st Century is rapidly becoming an era of global economic and technological competitiveness in which language ability and its complementary counterpart of cultural understanding are fundamental paths to success. This is true at the national and individual levels. An educated population with strong language and cultural skills is a key component of our national security. On an individual level strong language and cultural skills are a significant advantage in the highly competitive global workplace. In retrospect one of the best decisions that I made was to study Chinese language and culture. It opened the doors for me to have successful careers in both the government and the private sectors.” - Michael Byrnes, Language Flagship Business Champion; Brigadier General, U.S. Army
(ret.); former President of Tyco International, China ; and Bristol, RI native and resident
Encouraging language proficiency in Rhode Island public schools will not only benefit our children's education, but greatly help our local economy by making Rhode Island's more global. According to Mark Brodeur the RI Director of Tourism, 35 international consumers create one job in Rhode Island, while 191 Rhode Island consumers make up one job in Rhode Island. In addition to this, Multilingualism encourages small and medium sized companies to enter the global market, which will allow the local economy to grow. Startup companies will be given an easy route to enter the global market, providing these new organizations with a larger market overall. The Roadmap's ultimate goal of having bilingual high school graduates by 2030 will provide Rhode Island's economy the much needed boost, helping both large and small, new and old businesses succeed in a more globalized market.