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Skriven 2005-03-02 23:33:54 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0503021) for Wed, 2005 Mar 2
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Fact Sheet: Better Training for Better Jobs
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 2, 2005

Fact Sheet: Better Training for Better Jobs



Today's Presidential Action
  þ Today, President Bush visited Anne Arundel Community College in
    Maryland, to highlight his proposals to increase flexibility in our
    Nation's job training programs to double the number of workers
    receiving job training, from 200,000 to 400,000 a year.
  þ The President's Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Plus proposal in his
    Fiscal Year 2006 budget gives Governors broad flexibility to direct job
    training resources by consolidating the four major Department of Labor
    (DOL) job training and employment grants into one $4 billion state
    grant program, and gives Governors the option to supplement the
    consolidated grant with resources from a menu of other Federal job
    training and employment programs for a combined total of more than $7.5
    billion in available resources.
  þ To ensure greater accountability, President Bush's WIA Plus proposal
    requires all states to achieve 100-percent employment for workers
    trained with Federal dollars under this program within 10 years.
  þ Today, the President also highlighted his other proposals to ensure
    every adult can access the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in
    the workplace. Including his initiatives to mobilize community
    colleges, the President's proposals will train 400,000 workers annually
    twice as many as are trained under the current system.

Background on Today's Presidential Action

America's growing economy requires a flexible, highly skilled workforce,
and the President is committed to providing American workers with the
training they need to succeed. President Bush believes we must ensure every
adult, especially low- and middle-income Americans, can access the training
necessary to close the skills gap in America, and his new proposals are
designed to give states more flexibility to fill high growth jobs with
skilled American workers, and to hold states accountable for employment
results.

States need additional flexibility to provide workers with the training
they need. Since the Workforce Investment Act was enacted in 1998, 41
states have asked the Federal government for 162 waivers to gain the
flexibility needed to respond to economic conditions. The current system of
Federal job training programs is too complex, with multiple funding streams
and too many resources are spent on bureaucracy rather than training.
  þ Skills to Succeed with the President's WIA Plus Plan
      þ The President's WIA Plus plan cuts through layers of duplication
        and red tape so Governors can focus on helping workers get the
        skills they need to succeed in Americas 21st century economy. WIA
        Plus makes flexibility the rule, not an exception requiring a
        Federal waiver.
      þ By using taxpayer money wisely, the President's reform of Federal
        job training programs will measure success by results achieved, not
        by good intentions alone. DOL will work with each state to track
        annual progress and improve performance, and state performance will
        be ranked and released publicly each year.
  þ The President's Current Initiatives to Improve Job Training
    High-growth jobs of the 21st century require post-secondary training,
    and many adults are in need of short-term training and are not
    receiving it today. The President's job training proposals make the
    system more user-friendly, more responsive to the needs of the local
    economy, and more accessible for todays workers.
      þ Community-Based Job Training Grants. To help America's community
        colleges train 100,000 additional workers for the industries that
        are creating the most new jobs, the President proposed and Congress
        enacted $250 million in FY 2005 to create Community-Based Job
        Training Grants. The President's initiative will build on DOL's
        successful High Growth Job Training Initiative, launched under
        President Bush in 2002, which has provided $163 million to 87
        partnerships nationwide between community colleges, workforce
        agencies, and employers. The President's FY 2006 Budget proposes to
        continue this grant program with $250 million to help community
        colleges train workers with the skills most in demand by local
        employers.
      þ Community College Access Grants. The President's FY 2006 budget
        provides $125 million topromotedual-enrollment programs, which
        allow high school students to earn college credit, andtoencourage
        states to create policies to make it easier for students to
        transfer credits earned at community colleges to four-year
        institutions. Current state funding rules do not encourage
        dual-enrollment programs because high schools and community
        colleges each receive funds on a per-student basis, and are
        therefore hesitant to share students.
      þ Expanding Pell Grants for Low-Income Students. The President's FY
        2006 budget increases the maximum Pell Grant award by $100 each
        year for the next five years (from $4,050 today to $4,550 in 2010)
        to help more students in need pay for higher education and prepare
        for a lifetime of achievement. To pay for this, the President's
        budget request increases investments in Pell Grants by more than
        $15 billion over the next 10 years. Many low- and middle-income
        students across America rely upon Pell Grants to afford a quality,
        postsecondary education to gain the skills and knowledge needed to
        succeed in the workplace, and nearly 40% of Pell Grant recipients
        attend community colleges.
      þ New Loans for Short-Term Training. To make worker training more
        accessible and affordable, the President proposes to make loans
        available to help workers pay for short-term training that leads to
        an industry-recognized credential or certificate. The President's
        FY 2006 budget includes funding to generate up to $284 million in
        loans to 377,000 students including older workers, workers
        transitioning to new jobs, and workers pursuing a second career to
        upgrade their skills.

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