It was fitting that President Obama unveiled his budget at a community college, because his plan focuses heavily on ensuring the next generation of American workers have access to an affordable higher education.
This is a top priority for Senator Coons, who said “if we are to compete and succeed in the global economy, we have to invest now in the training and education required for highly skilled, good quality jobs. If we have the right workforce, we can revitalize American manufacturing so products are made in America and manufactured in Delaware.”
In analyzing the President’s budget request, there are a several key programs related to college access, including:
- Race to the Top: College Affordability and Completion. The budget proposes a $1 billion investment in a new Race to the Top challenge for states to spur higher education reform that will help improve affordability, quality, productivity, and degree completion.
- First in the World Fund. The budget proposes a new $55 million First in the World Fund that introduces an evidence-based framework to test, validate, and scale up effective strategies to improve higher education.
- Community College to Career Fund. Co-administered by the Department of Labor and the Department of Education, this fund will help forge partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train workers for good-paying jobs in high-growth and high-demand industries, such as health care, transportation, and advanced manufacturing.