In California, the nation's most populous state, the demand for well-educated employees will only increase over the next several years. In the decade leading up to 2012, healthcare occupations will see growth of 28 percent; over 157,000 new practitioners and technicians will be needed. Teachers will be in high demand: over a quarter million new educators (including librarians) will need to be hired. Managers will see their ranks swell by 21 percent; when retirements are added in, over 31,000 openings will need to be filled each year. The growth of these sectors is good news for California's citizens, since wages for jobs in these areas are higher than the average for California in general. Growth will occur in most sectors of California's economy (some exceptions: mining and certain manufacturing sectors), with the largest number of new jobs occurring in lower-paying fields such as retail sales and food service. However, all of California's "top jobs"--those with the fastest growth rate and highest earnings--are professional positions. The question for California and other states is how, in a time of tight budgets, to meet the increasing demands on higher education and thereby meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated economy. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has had workforce issues at the top of its agenda since its creation in the 1950s. In fact, WICHE was launched specifically to address the shortage of workforce-training opportunities in medicine, dentistry, and other professional fields. Today, WICHE offers a slew of undergraduate, graduate, and professional options that help the West's states educate and train their citizens, building their economies in the process. (Contains 2 tables.)