While I'm often asked to speak on a wide range of business issues, on Tuesday I had the opportunity to address a subject that is rapidly becoming one of the most important issues of our time: the role of education and competitiveness. I was honored by an invitation to testify before the U.S. Senate's Finance Committee by its Chairman, Senator Max Baucus of Montana, on the topic: Realizing a Competitive Education: Identifying Needs, Partnerships and Resources.

For as long as I can remember, leaders of business and government have been trying to work more closely to improve education, and in turn, boost business and the economy. In order for Accenture to accomplish its mission of helping our clients become high-performance businesses and governments – and remain competitive ourselves – we need to attract educated and talented people.

Finding talent to improve competitiveness is the number one agenda item for countless business leaders. This is because the foundation of a competitive company is a competitive workforce … and education is the key enabler of a competitive workforce.

To make this a reality, I believe there are three principles we must broadly embrace: First, access…providing access to educational opportunities; second, affordability…making education a reality by reducing financial barriers; and third, accountability…that we are teaching what is relevant and delivering good value for money.

In addition to working toward these three goals, there are a number of other things that business and government can do to advance education and competitiveness. One of them, I told the senators, would be for Congress to consider broadening tax incentives beyond deductions for tuition to cover expenses such as books, supplies and certain student fees which could be particularly important to students attending junior and community colleges.

I am a shameless advocate for junior and community colleges because I am an example of what they can accomplish. I credit Dean College, a two-year residential school outside of Boston, for helping give me the momentum to continue my education and become involved in business. There is no doubt that my two years at Dean College not only prepared me for advancing my education and gearing up for a career, but also transformed me as a person.

If we all do our part to improve and support education at every level, I believe we will leave an important legacy for generations to come. Although I was speaking before the Senate as a member of the Business Roundtable, a U.S. organization comprised of CEOs of major companies, supporting education is critically important to all of us no matter where we live and work.

As vice chairman of the Business Roundtable's Education and the Workforce Task Force, I outlined five key strategies that the Task Force has mapped out to help the United States bridge what the Business Roundtable refers to as "the talent gap" between students' schooling and future job opportunities:

• Strengthening math and science education programs in kindergarten through 12th grade;
• Recruiting and retaining outstanding math and science teachers;
• Expanding undergraduate and graduate science and engineering programs;
• Increasing funding for basic research in the physical sciences;
• Addressing visa and green card programs for highly educated, foreign-born professionals.

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