Obama proposes $8 billion to enhance worker training at community colleges

Job training for community college students was on the mind of President Obama on Monday. He unveiled his proposed budget for 2013, which includes a plan to create an $8 billion “Community College to Career Fund." 

The initiative would “train 2 million workers for jobs in potential growth areas such as electronic medical records and cyber security within sectors such as health care, transportation, and advanced manufacturing,” according to the Associated Press. “A key component of the community college plan would institute 'pay for performance' in job training, meaning there would be financial incentives to ensure that trainees find permanent jobs — particularly for programs that place individuals facing the greatest hurdles getting work.”

David Baime of the American Association of Community Colleges states: “At this scale, these resources could have a real benefit in helping colleges meet the demands of the workforce and the expectations that people have of them.”

Obama is calling on Congress to support the initiative, which he calls “an engine of job growth across the country.” One opponent argues it “does not solve problems.”

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