For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 12, 2004
Fact Sheet: Skills to Build for =?iso-8859-1?q?america's_future?=
August 12, 2004
FACT SHEET: SKILLS TO BUILD FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that between 2002 and
2012, the U.S. will need approximately one million skilled workers to
fill construction jobs. These jobs pay well, are in demand, require a
high skill level, and offer workers a stable future. The President
believes that skilled trades will play a significant role in building
America's future, and the United States has the skills and talent to
fill the growing number of jobs available in the construction
industry.
Skills to Build. The Department of Labor, in partnership with the
National Association of Home Builders, the Construction Industry Round
Table, and the National Heavy and Highway Alliance and its affiliated
international unions, is pursuing the Skills to Build America's Future
initiative, which promotes careers in the skilled trades by educating
young people and workers in transition about available opportunities.
Promoting Skilled Trades
President Bush's initiatives in secondary education and job
training are working to strengthen workers' abilities to get jobs in
many high-paying, high-growth industries -- including the skilled
trades. The President believes the skilled trades are and will
continue to be an important driver of job growth in America, and the
Federal government can help ensure access to the skills workers need to
fill those jobs -- through job training partnerships between industries
and community colleges, and strengthening education.
High Growth Job Training Initiative. Since 2002, the Department
of Labor has directed more than $92 million to 47 public-private
partnerships in which growing industries work with community colleges
and others to ensure that workers get needed skills to compete in
emerging fields like biotechnology and high-tech manufacturing.
Through High Growth Job Training partnerships and other industry
outreach, the Bush Administration is working to replicate the
apprenticeship model of academic instruction coupled with on-the-job
training and mentoring that has traditionally been used by the skilled
trades, so other industries can benefit from this established training
model.
Jobs for the 21st Century. Through his Jobs for the 21st Century
initiative, the President seeks to better prepare workers for jobs in
the new millennium by improving high school education and strengthening
post-secondary education and job training, with over $500 million in
new funding for education and job training.
Improving High School Education: Occupations in the skilled
trades require a strong math and science foundation. The
President's plan will improve the quality of education at our Nation's
high schools and better prepare students for success in higher
education and the job market, through measures that include:
Increased funding for the Mathematics and Science Partnership
Program to provide extra help to middle and high school students
who fall behind in math with an additional $120 million in the
President's FY 2005 budget. The President's budget also supports
making available nationwide the State Scholars program, which
encourages high school students to take more rigorous courses to
prepare them for college and the workplace; and
Incentives to invite math and science professionals from the
private sector to teach part-time in our high schools, and $227
million in the FY 2005 budget in loan forgiveness for math, science,
and special education teachers in low-income schools.
Strengthening Access to Post-Secondary Education and Job
Training: The President's plan will expand opportunities for
workers to access post-secondary education to obtain job training and
skills to compete in the new economy through Community-based Job
Training Grants. The President has proposed $250 million in the FY
2005 budget to fund training programs in community and technical
colleges that are linked with local employers looking for more skilled
workers.
Advancing Apprenticeship. The demands of the 21st century global
economy will require a highly skilled workforce with a strong academic
foundation and occupational skills provided through high-quality
education and training programs. Apprenticeship offers this
time-tested combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job
training and mentoring. The construction and manufacturing industries
have used apprenticeship for decades to grow their highly trained,
highly skilled workforces to keep pace with demand, and other
industries have taken notice. Today, apprenticeship is being embraced
by a wider array of employers, and has expanded to over 850
occupational areas to meet the needs of numerous industries including
healthcare, social services, information technology, and nursing.
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