To tackle a shortage of skilled workers in Maryland, Gov. Martin O'Malley, at an event in Hanover yesterday, highlighted several initiatives aimed at bringing state agencies together to provide job training and adult education.

"There are still a lot of people whose skills have not been employed to the degree that they would like them to be," O'Malley said. "We can take our talents for granted or realize they really are competitive advantages and build upon them."

The economy in Maryland, and especially Baltimore, has undergone a long-term shift from a reliance on industrial jobs to a focus on high-tech enterprises such as biotechnology and federal government contracting. State officials have estimated that 750,000 Marylanders need adult education services, including high school equivalency and English language classes.

Although O'Malley said Maryland is better equipped to withstand the national economic downturn than most states, he said Maryland's work force will continue to be stretched thin by an increasingly global economy and the impending retirement of baby boomers.

The Democratic governor has established a work force creation subcabinet as well as a council with members from state agencies and the University of Maryland to discuss how to better align the educational system with work force goals. He also has introduced legislation to transfer oversight of adult education to the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, though that proposal faces resistance from some legislators.

Officials yesterday promoted programs that are in the works, such as an electrical contractor construction training program at the women's prison in Jessup. They pointed to the Sales and Service Training Center in Hanover as a model for delivering services. The collaboration, between Anne Arundel Community College and a local work force development corporation, offers job training and recruitment events.

Susan Parker-Boston, a Pasadena resident who attended the event yesterday, said the center helped her when she lost her job nearly three years ago and was having a difficult time finding another one. She did not have a high school diploma, a fact she had never shared with her family. Since then, she has started a catering company and plans to graduate from Anne Arundel Community College in June.

"My goals are finally being fulfilled," she said.

Today, O'Malley plans to announce initiatives addressing nursing shortages, and Friday he will host a work force creation summit.

laura.smitherman@baltsun.com