By Sarah Jones
The Permian Basin is rich in oil, gas, and other natural resources. The population is projected to grow by over 68% in the next 20 years. It is also expected to see substantial economic growth, which will drive the need for additional workers. Today this same region ranks s among the least literate and least educated in the United States. How do these two facts relate to each other? Thirty percent of these new jobs which will be created with the growth in the next 20 years require level 3 literacy skills.
Why literacy matters to our community? Literacy not only will impact workers to fill open job positions. It has a far deeper impact. According to a George Washington University it is estimated between $106-238 billion in health care costs a year are linked to low adult literacy skills. Literacy also impacts crime. 75% of state-incarcerated individuals did not complete high school or can be classified as low literate.
What is the solution? This is a fixable problem. A need was seen in the Permian Basin, because of this the Literacy Coalition of the Permian Basin was founded in 2021. They saw a need and invested in research for our area. They have founded this coalition for literacy organizations or individuals to join for resources and sub-grants. Remember education begins with you!
Sarah Jones is Library Director at Carlsbad Public Library. Her library is a member of the Literacy Coalition of the Permian Basin.
