Local elected, community, and business leaders; labor representatives; and local government agencies should establish strong linkages between economic planning/development activities and education and training systems. Business development and recruitment efforts frequently are not firmly linked with education and job training programs. All too often, this means that even though businesses decide to locate in a particular community, the residents of that community who have the greatest need for jobs do not have the skills to acquire and/or retain jobs in these businesses. Firmer linkages will establish feedback mechanisms whereby education and training programs can better prepare participants for future jobs that are expected to be located in an area.