The N.C. Joining Our Businesses and Schools (JOBS) Commission, headed by Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, was awarded for its innovation.
The JOBS Commission has been a mainstay in Dalton's stump speech on his record as he seeks election as governor.
Southern Growth Policies Board, which describes itself as nonpartisan and setting the stage as a forum for conversation on regional economic growth, presented the 2012 Innovator Award in Chattanooga. Gov. Bev Perdue spoke to the group Monday.
The commission is composed of 20 leaders from across North Carolina who represent business, education and government and was created in 2009 with Dalton's backing to help align N.C. high schools with the needs of the state's economy.
"The strength of our economy depends on the training and education we give to our future workforce," Dalton said. "The innovative models developed by this non-partisan group have already begun to prepare North Carolina’s students for the advanced jobs of the 21st century."
