After years of American technological leadership, the U.S. received a harsh wake-up call on Oct. 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik I. President Dwight D. Eisenhower used the launch as a catalyst to increase research and development spending that led to many of the tech advances we take for granted in Silicon Valley.
Fifty-four years later, our country finds itself at another Sputnik moment, with cleantech being the new technological frontier and China the looming economic threat. U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu recently said: "The U.S. still has the opportunity to lead in a new industrial revolution. It is a way to secure our future prosperity, but I believe our time is running out."
To read the full, original article click on this link: Opinion: Workforce retraining is the key to Silicon Valley's competitiveness - San Jose Mercury News
Author: Steve Westly and Luther Jackson
