As far as Tuesdays go, last week’s was a good one, at least for the L-A economy.

Affiliated Computer Services, which already employs 417 people on East Avenue in Lewiston, announced it will hire 200 more.

ACS provides call-in support, mainly for the retail and health-care industries, and it needs new employees quickly.

The workers will provide technical support and customer service.

The announcement follows another three months ago by Boston-based Carbonite that it will bring 50 new jobs to Lewiston now, with the possibility of 200 more by the end of next year.

Carbonite provides secure computer data storage for a fee and it is rapidly expanding.

Rich Surace, Carbonite’s vice president of services, said full-time jobs there will average $35,000 annually, ranging up to $50,000 for managers.

It is worth noting that both companies cited the work ethic, the higher-education opportunities and a skilled work force here as deciding factors.

That’s a compliment not only to the people who live here, but it also reaffirms the critical role of education in building a successful local economy.

Several months ago, many Auburn taxpayers were questioning the wisdom of providing expensive iPads to kindergarten students. A decade before, many questioned then-Gov. Angus King’s plan to put laptop computers in the hands of middle-school students.

Like it or not, many of the jobs of the future will be digital. The sooner young people become comfortable with the tools of the trade, the better.

At the other end of the pipeline, Lewiston-Auburn’s higher-ed capabilities have evolved and grown over the past 20 years, supplying everything from local hospitals to automotive shops with high-tech employees.

Also evident in the recent announcements is the beginning of an international shift. Major companies are finding that cheaper isn’t always better when interacting with customers.

As Carbonite officials pointed out, people who have just lost computer data are stressed out and demanding. They may have little patience for negotiating a language barrier with an overseas call center.

In a competitive world, fortunately, companies are rediscovering the value and productive advantage of hiring American workers.

It was also pointed out last week that the region offers skilled, experienced call-center workers.

We have L.L.Bean to thank for that, for locating one of the original call centers here. TD Bank has also shown tremendous faith in the Lewiston-Auburn area over the past decade by locating a variety of banking operations here.

Skeptics will still sneer at the idea of call-center jobs.

However, many of these jobs have become highly technical, and they require good verbal and interpersonal skills. Pay rates, meanwhile, such as those at Carbonite, often reflect that.

Plus, call centers require supervisors, managers and technical people to keep them up and running.

Meanwhile, any new job spins off new dollars that will be spent at other local businesses.

Finally, what the skeptics also refuse to note is that even in an economy with a high unemployment rate, certain types of high-paying jobs still go begging for applicants.

If you don’t want a call-center job, research other fields. Talk to people working in those occupations. Find a good training program and acquire the necessary skills.

It’s a supply-and-demand world. Supply the right skills and you will be in demand.

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The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and editorial board.