LCCC APPLAUDS PRESIDENT OBAMA’S PLAN TO BOOST FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Focus on Higher Education Will Help More Lorain Countians Find Jobs

Lorain County Community College today (Wed., July 15) applauded President Barack Obama’s rollout of the $12 billion American Graduation Initiative – to provide additional support to community colleges and increase the number of college graduates in America. 

“We are excited by President Obama’s proposal that is focused on the unique needs and capabilities of the nation’s network of community colleges,” said LCCC President Dr. Roy A. Church.  “This support will help LCCC do an even better job of providing easily accessible, high-quality education and training programs to the residents of Lorain County.”

In an increasingly competitive world economy, America's economic strength depends upon the education and skills of its workers. “We know that in the coming years, jobs requiring at least an associate degree are projected to grow twice as fast as those requiring no college experience,” said President Obama. “We will not fill those jobs – or even keep those jobs on our shores – without the training offered by community colleges.”  To meet this economic imperative, President Obama in the American Graduation Initiative asks every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training and set a new national goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

President Obama outlined his plan Tuesday at Macomb Community College in Michigan. The plan calls for an additional 5 million community college graduates by 2020 and new initiatives to teach Americans the skills they will need to compete with workers from other nations. He outlined new initiatives to increase the effectiveness and impact of community colleges, raise graduation rates, modernize facilities, and create new online learning opportunities.

“These steps – an unprecedented increase in the support for community colleges – will help rebuild the capacity and competitiveness of America's workforce,” Church said.

The announcement comes a day after the Council of Economic Advisers released a report describing how the U.S. labor market is expected to grow and develop in the coming years. The CEA described an expected shift toward jobs that require workers with greater analytical and interactive skills and summarized the attributes of a well-functioning education and training system designed for the jobs of the future.

Investing in community colleges nationwide presents a concrete opportunity to fight rising unemployment in America. In Thrive: The Skills Imperative, released last year, the Council highlighted middle-skilled labor as representing the largest number of total job openings in the U.S. until 2016. These openings include many high-paying jobs that can be obtained through classes and training received at a community college.

“An increasing number of U.S. workers at every skill level face growing global competition,” said Deborah Wince-Smith, President of the Council on Competitiveness. “We must ensure that America’s workers have the tools to compete against anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world. Funding higher education is absolutely necessary to achieve that goal. The Obama administration’s AGI will help satisfy the need for middle-skilled workers at a time when employing more Americans is imperative to the health and sustainability of our nation’s economy.”

The American Graduation Initiative will complement what LCCC is already doing to increase enrollment and make college more accessible.  “The College has laid out its plan to build a world-class community through education, innovation and collaboration in our Vision 2015 process,” Church said.

LCCC’s Vision 2015 seeks to raise the community’s participation in higher education, prepare globally competent talent to compete in the innovation economy, accelerate business and job growth to enhance regional competitiveness and serve as a catalyst for an enhanced community life.

Since 1999 LCCC’s enrollment has risen 70 percent. Enrollment for the upcoming fall semester is already 15 percent ahead of last fall.

“Our residents recognize that they need to prepare themselves for the careers of the future and LCCC is working to provide them with the education and training that will help them get there.  This proposal will help LCCC and all community colleges meet the challenges laid out by President Obama,” Church said.
 
For more details on President Obama’s American Graduation Initiative visit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Excerpts-of-the-Presidents-remarks-in-Warren-Michigan-and-fact-sheet-on-the-American-Graduation-Initiative/

July 15, 2009