Obama's Plan to Expand Job Training Opportunities for the Unemployed

Friday May 15, 2009

This week, President Obama announced his intent to "lay a new foundation for our economic growth by investing in our citizens."

His approach is both familiar and new.

The "familiar" part is based upon old arguments for reinventing the welfare system. Instead of simply collecting welfare, people would work or be trained for work in order to collect a check. The "new" is applying the concept to further education -- not as a result of welfare, but as a result of unemployment. Those figures today are 8.9% for the nation and 11.2% for California.

In some way this seems like a small step. In reality, it is a giant step. Why? Because it makes full use of this nation's community college system. Although the details have not yet been released at this stage, it is an interesting idea. The plan should allow for more than the first 2 years of college, however; It should be extended to college completion.

This plan has the potential of a modern economy depression era GI BILL. And I believe it's an idea whose time has come.

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