State of the Union Addresses of Barack Obama, 2009-2016Obama, Barack
General
State of the Union Addresses of Barack Obama, 2009-2016
Obama, Barack
Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
Tonight I'm announcing the creation of a trade enforcement unit that
will be charged with investigating unfair trading practices in
countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent
counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this
Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over
American manufacturing when it comes to accessing financing or new
markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and
if the playing field is level, I promise you, America will always win.
I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United
States, but can't find workers with the right skills. Growing
industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we
have workers who can do the job. Think about that: openings at a time
when millions of Americans are looking for work. It's inexcusable, and
we know how to fix it.
Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from
her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in
Charlotte and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community
College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and
robotics training. It paid Jackie's tuition, then hired her to help
operate their plant.
I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as
Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train 2 million
Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My
administration has already lined up more companies that want to help.
Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community
colleges in places like Charlotte and Orlando and Louisville are up and
running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources
they need to become community career centers, places that teach people
skills that businesses are looking for right now, from data management
to high-tech manufacturing.
And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs so
that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one web site,
and one place to go for all the information and help that they need. It
is time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that
puts people to work.
These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to
prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and
education has to start earlier.
For less than 1 percent of what our Nation spends on education each
year, we've convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their
standards for teaching and learning, the first time that's happened in
a generation. But challenges remain, and we know how to solve them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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