Inthenextfewyearstheworldwillbefacingahugetalentshortage.DemographictrendsinAmerica,Europe,Russia,andJapanarereducingthepoolofnewworkers.Astheneedfortalentgrows,China'sandIndia'seducationalsystemswon'tbeabletoproduceenoughqualifiedgraduatesforthemselves,letalonetherestoftheworld.Buttheheartoftheproblemisthattheeducation-to-employmentsystemworldwideisbadlyoutmoded.We'renotproducinggraduateswiththekindsoftechnical,communications,andthinkingskillsneededinthe21stcentury.InWinningtheGlobalTalentShowdown,EdGordonsurveysthesorrystateoftheworldtalentpipeline,withseparatechaptersontheAmericas,Asia,andEurope.Eachregionfacesitsownchallenges,yettheresultisthesame:adramaticshortageofworkerswhocanfunctioninwhatGordoncallsour"cyber-mental"age.Butthisisfundamentallyabookaboutsolutions.Gordonarguesthatweneedtocompletelyreinventourtalent-creationsystem–andsomepioneeringeffortsarealreadyunderway.Hedescribesdozensof"gatewaystothefuture,"innovativepartnershipsinwhichlocalgovernments,schools,businesses,laborunions,parents,trainingorganizations,communityactivists,andothersarecollaboratingtodevelopcompletelynewapproachestoeducation.Basedonpersonalexperience,Gordonoutlineshowconcernedcitizenscanestablishthesepartnershipsintheirowncommunities.Andhelooksdowntheroadto2020,explaininghowwecanbuildonthebestofthesenewideassothatthejobspipelineflowsfreelyagain.