Obama, Sen. Patty Murray talk about role of community colleges in training tomorrow’s workers

Written by kie | The Bellingham Herald | February 15, 2012

Community colleges have been in the spotlight this week, from President Obama calling on Congress to create an $8 billion fund to train community college students for high-growth industries, to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray’s speech on Wednesday, Feb. 15, before the American Association of Community Colleges — Congressional Forum.

The Washington state Democrat gave the speech to community college trustees, presidents and other advocates.

Here’s the text of her speech.

Thank you so much Tom for that introduction {Tom Malone, a Seattle Community College trustee}.

And I want to thank all of you for coming here to D.C. to advocate for your communities—and for inviting me here today.

You know, the importance of community colleges isn’t just an abstract issue for me—it’s personal.

When I was growing up my dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis—and within a few years his illness got so bad that he couldn’t work anymore.

My mom, who had stayed home to raise our family, had to take care of him.

But she also needed to get a job so she could support us.

She found some work, but it didn’t pay enough to support me and my six brothers and sisters—and a husband with growing medical bills.

For several months, our family relied on food stamps. They were meager, but they kept food on the table while we figured things out.

And after a while, my mom realized that she just couldn’t make it work with the job she had. But she couldn’t get a better job without new skills and training.

Fortunately, at the time there was a government program that helped her attend Lake Washington Vocational School where she got a two-year degree in accounting, and eventually, a better job.

My mother was able to take care of my dad, put food on the table—and with some help from Pell grants and student loans, send all seven of us to college.

None of which would have been possible without the boost she got at our community college.

And as you all know—my mother’s story is not unique.

Community colleges across this country have been serving students from all walks of life for decades.

You all help families, you help businesses—and you are truly integral parts of the communities you serve.

And as we move deeper into the 21st century, we need to make sure you are adapting and growing to better meet the needs of our changing economy.

The challenges of the 21st century economy – the skills deficit

A recent article in the Atlantic Monthly highlighted the challenges we are facing really nicely.

The piece, called “Making it in America,” contrasted the stories of two workers in a South Carolina auto parts plant.

One worker, a single-mom named Maddie, is a high school graduate who works on the assembly line.
· She is considered a quote “unskilled worker.”

The other, Luke, went to community college, took a whole bunch of math and computer classes—and works at the same factory as a machinist.
· He is considered a “skilled worker.”

As the article details, Luke is in a great position.

He makes a good living, his job is relatively secure—
· and he and his fellow “skilled” co-workers deliver so much value to their employers that it simply wouldn’t be economical to ship their jobs overseas in the foreseeable future.

Maddie, on the other hand, is in a very precarious position.

Since her job requires little to no training she can be replaced anytime.

In fact, she showed a new worker how to do the same job in less than a day. Needless-to-say, her job is not secure.
And since she gets paid 10 times more than a Chinese worker with similar skills,
· the only reason her job exists in America is that it doesn’t make sense to separate the assembly lines operated by the skilled and unskilled workers.

Two workers—both smart, both ambitious—but in very different positions simply because of their skills difference.

So as our economy becomes more global, more interconnected, and more competitive—
· we need to make sure our entire workforce development system is firing on all cylinders to turn out more skilled workers like Luke.

More workers who can make products here in America. Who can fill those 21st century jobs our businesses are fighting to create.

But that’s going to take a lot of improvement.

Right now, nearly 25% of Americans fail to finish high school—much less obtain a postsecondary credential.

And as we all know, those with a high school diploma or less are more likely to be unemployed, to be among the long-term unemployed, and to earn substantially less than their counterparts.

This isn’t just a problem for these workers and their families—it’s a challenge for our nation.

Consider these facts:

McKinsey Global Institute estimates that the U.S. will need to produce roughly a million more post-secondary degrees by 2020—40% more than today—to ensure we have the skilled workers our economy needs.

Researchers at Georgetown University estimate that by 2018, nearly two-thirds of U.S. jobs will require some education or training beyond a high school diploma.

And among our nation’s manufacturers, 82% report a moderate to serious skills gap in their skilled positions. 74% say that this skills gap has negatively impacted their business. And 70% expect it to only get worse!

Community colleges are key to tackling this challenge

So we have a long-term economic problem—but I don’t think it’s an intractable one.

Business owners across the country who have been outsourcing for years are now discussing ways to bring many of those jobs back to America.

Because they know that the labor ledger has two sides—our workers may not always be the cheapest, but they are more often than not the most productive.

As a nation, we need to work with these companies to facilitate the return of jobs to our shores.

But we also need to address that very real skills gap that threatens to hold back our nation’s economic growth.

And that’s where you all play such a critical role.

Community colleges have a track record when it comes to training workers to fill jobs in some of the most in-demand and growing industries, like: health care, hospitality, business services, and manufacturing.

And you have been doing this important work in challenging times.

Many states have been cutting their support for higher education year after year—forcing colleges to close departments and lay off teachers at the very time they need to be serving more students.

And as I see so clearly here in Washington, D.C.—the federal programs students and community colleges depend on are under constant assault by those who—I believe—are taking a very short-sighted view when it comes to our nation’s priorities.

Community colleges need to adapt and improve.

So I am going to keep fighting to get the resources and support you need to continue serving our communities.

I am very glad President Obama has made community colleges a priority—because I agree with him that you are all an important piece of our overall workforce development system.

I am going to work with him over the next few months as his efforts move into Congress

But I am also going to challenge each and every community college to redouble your efforts as you continue to innovate and adapt to our quickly-changing economy.

So as we look forward, let me highlight some of my personal priorities for community colleges in the context of our overall workforce development system.

First and foremost, we have to raise completion rates. We need to do a better job graduating the students who walk through our community college doors.

Now I know it’s not entirely within your control, but there are models that work, community colleges can spread best practices, and we can continue to push the envelope of how we deliver services.

Because we know that the students you serve are often working and learning at the same time, it is hard for them to juggle all the obligations and responsibilities in their lives.

One of the keys to best serving them is through a rich network of partnerships—with employers to ensure that the right skills are taught as efficiently as possible, with workforce boards, CBOs, and social service providers to ensure students have access to all the supports they needs, and with local, state and national foundations to access flexible funds to innovate and adapt.

The President recently highlighted the need for community colleges to create a “College Scorecard,” so prospective students and families can access data like tuition, graduation rates, and potential earnings—in an accessible and easy-to-read format.

I agree. Some colleges are already doing this—and like President Obama and a growing number of experts, I believe that transparency, accountability, and the sharing of consumer information will strengthen community colleges and lead to better outcomes for all.

Community colleges also need to build on and expand the work you all do with local industries—so your graduates are getting the skills and training they need to fill the jobs being created in their regional economies.

Again, there are models that work—and I know many of you are doing this well already.

In my home state of Washington, Walla Walla Community College—which was recently named a top community college by the Aspen Institute—has done this extremely well.

When their leadership realized that the lumber and food processing jobs that had sustained the local economy were leaving the area, they worked hard to make sure their courses were up to date and targeted to fill the jobs being created by local businesses.

And in Walla Walla—that meant the quickly growing wine industry.

Their foresight, ability to adapt quickly to local needs, and close coordination with local businesses not only helped their graduates get local jobs, and it not only helped fill open positions—but it gave the industry strong legs to stand on, knowing they could invest, grow, and be confident that a strong pipeline of new workers was there to sustain them.

And finally, as chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee— I know that for too long in this country we’ve invested billions of dollars in training our young men and women with the skills to protect our nation, only to fail in training them for their transition to the working world.

For too long, at the end of their career we patted these troops on the back for their service and then pushed them out into the job market alone and ill-prepared.

This has cost our nation and our veterans dearly. And I think you all can really help our country step up to the plate here.

You can open your doors to American’s veterans so they don’t feel that the schools that recruit on military installations are their only options.

You can create a space for them on campus so that they can be with other vets who know what they’re going through.

And you can make sure someone on your campus knows about VA services so that referrals can be made when our vets need help.

In Washington state, Bellevue Community College has really great programs for vets—I know there are many others across the country that do as well.

And although I know resources are tight, I believe community colleges can lead the way in helping our vets succeed back here at home.

And I am committed to working with you to help make that happen.

Conclusion—I will keep fighting for community colleges

Those are some of my top priorities for community colleges in the coming year to help you adapt for the 21st century economy.

I also stand ready to support you in making the investments you need in innovations and new technology—such as e-textbooks, and internet learning.

And I am very interested in working on ways to help make community college more affordable for students—including examining policies that would bring student loan rates down to the low market rates we are seeing today.

Because I believe we all have a role to play in closing that skills gap—and in making sure every student in America has the skills and training they need to move into a good career.

It’s going to take a lot of work on the federal level here in D.C.

It’s going to take continued commitment at the state level and in communities across the country.

And it’s going to take all of you—continuing your great work innovating, adapting, and improving.

We have a lot to do to make sure America continues to lead the way in the 21st century economy.

And to make sure our workers and businesses continue to succeed.

It’s not going to be easy.

But our country has taken on challenges before—we’ve come out ahead—and I am confident community colleges are going to help lead the way as we tackle this one.

So thank you once again for inviting me here to speak today.

And for everything you do for students, businesses, and communities across America.

I want to especially thank everyone here representing community colleges in Washington state—you do such great work and I am proud to represent you in the Senate.

Enjoy the rest of the summit.

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