The general assembly finds and declares that:

(1)  Rhode Island’s statewide career pathways systems must be driven by local business and industry needs;

(2)  Despite high unemployment, businesses report difficulties and frustration in locating employment candidates with the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities they need;

(3)  Locating, training, and preparing candidates to fill job openings is an expense that few companies can afford;

(4)  The state needs a focused interagency collaboration to provide easy access for businesses to find competent employees and job seekers to obtain necessary resources, training, and skills development; and

(5)  The state needs to build upon the efforts of the department of labor and training to facilitate employers’ access to high quality, skilled job seekers and reduce the number of unemployed individuals in Rhode Island.