A globally competitive Mississippi must be built through investment in the education, training, and skills of its people. Recommendations for improving the system involve (1) a human resource and economic development strategy built on a partnership between the state and communities and (2) a state-level human capital strategy board. Critical target groups are adults preparing for work, teenagers preparing for adulthood, and children preparing for school. For adults, a workplace learning campaign should focus on private-sector basic skill, literacy, and worker retraining programs and training consortia run by employers. For teenagers, recommendations include clear measures of performance and accountability for skills required for high school graduation; JOBSkills, a complementary program of school and part-time jobs starting in the 10th grade; a statewide pregnancy prevention program; and a youth community service corps. For children, Head Start and family literacy programs should be expanded; early childhood health and nutrition programs should be funded; welfare reforms that encourage transition to work should be implemented; and day care partnerships and standards should be developed. Guiding principles for building a competitive work force are (1) centering lifelong learning on individual self-esteem and motivation; (2) developing community-based responses to human resource challenges; (3) creating a seamless web among providers of education, training, and human services; (4) bridging racial divisions; (5) targeting the rural poor; and (6) recognizing that all sectors, communities, and individuals are responsible for lifelong learning. (SK)