Meg Whitman on Human Capital Policy

Global executives respect America for its talent, creativity, and innovative culture. This spirit built our nation and its reputation for leadership in many different industries: technology, finance, health care, agriculture, biotech, and all kinds of manufacturing, to name a few.

During my career working with companies including eBay, Procter & Gamble and The Walt Disney Company, I knew that success was possible only with a team of talented and committed people sharing a common vision. Great teams always deliver amazing results. They helped create the world’s best online marketplace where individual entrepreneurs could compete with the largest corporations. They transformed entertainment through dynamic new ways to bring animated characters to life on the big screen. And they even revolutionized agriculture, leading to the most efficient use of natural resources and ways to produce crops that feed the world.

Make no mistake, innovation drives opportunity, creates jobs, and sustains our economy. It is the foundation upon which families prosper and communities thrive.

But they cannot do so when government gets in the way… like it is today.

I’ve worked with Mitt Romney for many years. In fact, he was my first boss when I moved to San Francisco after business school. I’ve seen him excel in pressure situations and under the most difficult conditions. I know what Mitt’s made of and what he stands for. 

Mitt Romney’s vision for America is the right vision. He knows what it takes to help entrepreneurs start a business. He knows that successful businesses are really people working together to provide for their families and deliver goods and services throughout the world. And most importantly, Mitt knows that America prospers only when people are working, providing for their families and contributing to society.

Sadly, the policies of the current administration do not reflect this vision or our values as a nation. But working together and with Mitt Romney in the White House, we can get back on track. Here’s how:

First, we have to ensure our workforce remains the most educated, skilled, and innovative in the world. Despite near-record unemployment, there are more than a million open jobs for people with advanced skills and technical expertise.

The bridge to these jobs is making sure that our schools are preparing students, giving them the skills necessary to succeed in the global market. We need to provide younger generations with the math, science, engineering, and critical thinking skills to succeed in all kinds of career fields. From preschool to PhD, America must have the best education system. If we want to turn things around, and for our economy to bloom in the future, we need an absolute focus on educational excellence.

Moreover, we have to retrain American workers so they can flourish in emerging new industries. A decade ago, there was no Facebook or Twitter. The American economy is dynamic and always modernizing. We must make sure that today’s workforce keeps pace so that it can continue to fuel economic success and entrepreneurial prosperity. Our men and women can do the job; we simply need to provide the right support.

Another way to strengthen the workforce is by welcoming young minds to America from around the world. Motivated, hardworking, and highly skilled immigrants are the fabric of our country’s rich history, and they benefit our economy in many ways. First, they deliver expertise to cutting-edge companies seeking to innovate in highly technical and ultra-competitive markets. Second, they start companies, producing patented technologies and creating new jobs. For example, a 28-year-old French immigrant of Persian heritage, in a San Jose living room, founded eBay. And for every software engineer we hired to work for eBay, many other people got good jobs in important supporting roles. All these men and women helped make eBay great, but it would never have happened if the company’s founder didn’t come to America and benefit from the Silicon Valley’s innovative spirit.

That’s what Mitt Romney’s all about. His jobs plan is predicated upon creating the climate in which entrepreneurs will take risks and start the next eBay, Genentech, Google, or Disney here. Mitt wants to make sure that the next world-changing invention is “Made in America.” Mitt’s plan lifts barriers and embraces people who hold advanced degrees in math, science, and engineering. The Romney plan also stops the irrational practice of educating foreign students in America’s world-class universities and then forcing them to take their talents and dreams away when they graduate.

Mitt Romney is committed to restoring America’s economic promise and working to rebuild our economy. Unlike other candidates, he knows what it takes to create private-sector jobs, and that’s exactly what our country needs.

I’ve seen Mitt do it before, and America needs him to do it again.

Meg Whitman is the former CEO of eBay. In 2010, she was the Republican nominee for governor of California.