We live today in an information world, a knowledge society. The success of businesses, communities, states, and countries in the global economy will depend on an educated workforce with the skills to function as knowledge workers.

Globalization and technology have displaced many jobs. The remaining and future jobs require knowledge workers who can manage and process information, think critically, assimilate primary source information, and solve problems. These jobs minimally require an undergraduate degree. It is critical that we provide students every opportunity to maximize their learning potential.

In addition it is estimated that students graduating today from high school will experience eight to ten different careers during their lifetime. The illiterate person today is not one who cannot read or write but one who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. Therefore we must inculcate life long skills for learning.

Information technology as a tool for enabling teaching and learning can expand the horizons of education around the world to enrich the resources of knowledge.

North Carolina's best incentive for economic development and job growth is education. Preparing our students to be successful in the 21st Century of knowledge and innovation is what the Business and Education Technology Alliance is about. BETA is the only commission whose sole purpose is to design an educational system that is based on and includes technology as a way of life and the technological infrastructure to support learning. Young people and workers can then develop the diverse skills that businesses need to prosper in the global markets.