In the May issue of Chief Learning Officer, Mike Prokopeak writes about President Obama's support of continuing education on the job. He quotes Obama:
“If we want to come out of this recession stronger than before, we need to make sure that our workforce is better prepared than ever before,” he said. “Right now, someone who doesn’t have a college degree is more than twice as likely to be unemployed as someone who does. And so many of the Americans who have lost their jobs can’t find new ones because they simply don’t have the skills and the training they need for the jobs they want.”
Obama is actively encouraging companies and schools to revise unemployment rules to support education and loosening the qualifications for grants.
"...it’s no longer just a time to look for a new job, but is also a time to prepare yourself for a better job,” Obama said.
This is a call to action for every one of us. What are your plans? Talk to us.
Comments
I agree with the point what Obama says.
Not that these coments ever get read, but I’ll humor this subject.
Why the heck would anyone want to go back to school? There are thousands of college graduates that are deeply in debt with student loans with a useless degree and can not find a job within their industry. With the economy, as it is, most college graduates can not find a career that can support themselves and pay back their catastrophic student loans. Why would we want to make the same mistake twice?
Joseph! Your comments really are read.
School comes in all forms. Many people with degrees are going back to school to learn a trade, get certified. Welding, for example, is a high-demand skill now. Education is never wasted.
I would bet you’re interested in education yourself or you wouldn’t have stopped at my site. Stick around. Learn something!
Deb
I agree with what Obama says. However, his words don’t seem to translate well into action. I’m a college graduate within the last 2 years and am trying to go back to school this fall for a professional certificate program which requires full-time schooling. I DO NOT qualify for ANY federal or state grants because I hold a degree. I am currently on unemployment and have over $60,000 in previous school loans. But, I don’t qualify because of a piece of paper that can’t get me a job. It boggles my mind.
I think the best way to go is to get a certification if you already have a Degree. I hold a BA in Finance and currently working on obtaining a certification to become a Network Administrator (Network+ and CCNA) with a total cost of less than $2K.