Job losses during the recession have already created challenges that will endure well beyond the recovery. Governors have an opportunity to strategically prioritize higher education in their states and territories by linking labor market demand with education supply through expansion of existing data systems. Understanding what the job openings are by state and using that information to tailor and prioritize educational programs in a state will give governors a solid foundation on the path to recovery. This paper suggests that states should develop a state-level learning-labor exchange that connects available information about educational programs, wages paid to graduates of these programs, and real-time job advertisements. Examples of how to initiate and expand education programs that efficiently move working students and adults into good jobs are presented. (Contains 2 figures and 2 footnotes.)