Over what time frame, Chris?

from eariler this month: >>Obama will hit the trail today to kick off what the campaign is calling "Energy Week." In Lansing, Michigan at 11am he will introduce his "New Energy for America" plan which includes an energy rebate to subsidize high gas prices, the creation of five million new green jobs and working to decrease dependence on Middle Eastern oil within 10 years.<<

New job creation is one of the biggest topics of conversation more or less everywhere I participate

The huge opportunity for green jobs in the USA was probably the number 1 innovation topic clinton talked about at his annual gathering a week ago http://www.clintonglobalinitiati ve.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pi d=2827&srcid=2392

In Africa, so I heard at a health talk in DC I was at recently, it is estimated that there is a shortfall of over 200000 'nurses" and basic practice doctors if I recall. Part of this is to do with shocking mismatch between what schools prepare children for.

A MISGUIDED START TO C21 It seems to me over last deacde that in most places governments and media -and banking! - have not had a positive role in asking what are the jobs of the future; how do we radically change educational systems to match the future not the past of jobs. How do we encourage / empower microentrepreneurship in communities.

Nor do international NGOs have a good record on this when you get down to what could have been empowered, locally transferred.

Its against this backdrop that I personally believe the idea of taddy blecher's Free University in South Africa is so vital to encourage. Typically students get free education as a swap for either commiting several years work back in rural or poor places, or being encouraged to start up entrepreneurail solutions in these places. Moreover the idea of free universities is to search the world for open franchises which can de adopted from one rural place in need to another; and where largely peer to peer training transfers the knowhow. This is the interview we did on taddy's wishes in this regard - it maps all sorts of potential job creation pathways if only the vocational knowledge can be planted http://www.valuetrue.com/home/ga llery.cfm?startrow=7

I can't believe that only Taddy Blecher in Johannesburg is addressing -or keen to address - this search. How do we create networks that co-agent what sorts of employment skils need to be brought to a place in such a way that they become peer to peer programs once the first class expereinces how to do it. If only we were as smart at open franchising servce skills so many communities needs as mcdonalds is in frying burgers Where else are such vocational education institutes with eyes on missing jobs emerging? Can we help link them together as well as start to map where the job gaps are

Returning to Clinton - if USA had seen green energy as job and investment opportunity back in 2001, investment would have boomed in clean energy instead of only going into housing bubbles; there might well have been an extra million green jobs in america by now; america would confidently be over the hump of worrying about being dependent on foregbers sources of energy; a green energy america would probably support 1 million new jobs by 2012 instead oby 2018; the worldwide economy would not be crashing. Even if you think this is a slight exaggeration, it seems to me that job creation is something we should all be questioning ; I will be trying to frame this debate optimistically with 10000 youth who we are connecting in microentrepreneur http://www.google.com/search?hl= en&q=microentrepreneurship&a mp;aq=1&oq=microentre dialogue in coming weeks. If there are others here who could be interested to join in such a process - lets' work out how