Obama proposes $8 billion to career fund for training two million workers

President Barack Obama proposed a $8 billion aid for Community Colleges under a Career Fund on Monday, with the goal of training two million workers for well-paying jobs in high-demand industries. Obama called for a national commitment to help develop an economy built to last by training two million workers with skills that will directly lead them to a job. The fund would be administered together by the Departments of Labor and of Education, and would be used to increase partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train workers in areas such as transportation, health care, and advanced manufacturing. The fund will also help support paid internships for low-income community college students that will allow them to simultaneously earn credit for work-based learning and gain relevant employment experience. Under Obama’s proposal, states would also be able to seek money to support employer efforts to improve the skills of their workforce. The fund would provide aid for regional and national sectors to identify important workforce needs and create solutions like standardizing industry certificates, creating new training technologies, and collaborating with industry employers to define how skills can translate to career pathways.