Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough is participating in a panel discussion on 'Education and the Workforce: Skill Sets for the 21st Century' at a national summit on American competitiveness hosted by U. S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.

The summit will convene the nation's premiere leaders of business, government, academia and the research community to address the core components and lessons of the role of the private sector; education and workforce issues, energy independence and partnerships in innovation.

President Clough's panel will focus on the 'human' challenges of the current marketplace including keeping America economically competitive with a highly skilled workforce, attracting the best and brightest students from across the globe and evaluating the academic, government and private sector's role in ensuring America's education system is world class. The panel is set to begin Tuesday, September 18 at 10:30 a.m. in the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

"The National Summit on American Competitiveness provides an opportunity to highlight the progress we've made and the need for America to continually advance strategies that keep our country on the competitive edge," said Gutierrez. "It will be a time to learn from America's most prominent and successful leaders and innovators. I am excited about the potential for the National Summit to make a significant contribution toward shaping the national debate and developing policies that will help foster innovation and competitiveness."

To view a full listing of speakers and the summit agenda, please visit www.americancompetitiveness.com or www.commerce.gov.