President Discusses Job Training and the Economy in Ohio
Remarks by the President in a Conversation on Job Training and the Economy
Owens Community College
Perrysburg Township, Ohio
10:24 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you Dr. Adams. Well done. (Laughter.) You
read it just like I wrote it. (Laughter.) I appreciate your
invitation. Thank you for your leadership. I want to thank you all
for coming. I particularly want to thank the panelists who are here.
We're about to have a discussion about how a community college can
change people's lives in a positive way; how we can use our community
college system to help people who want to work gain the skills
necessary to find jobs in what is a changing economy.
Before we get there, I do want to say a few comments, now that
you're stuck here. (Laughter.) First, it's great to be in Toledo, the
home of the Mud Hens. (Applause.) I've always been intrigued by the
nickname, the Mud Hens. (Laughter.)
I'm glad to be in the presence of two members of the United States
Senate who actually hitched a ride on Air Force One. They endured a
rather long speech last night, then got on the airplane and endured
another speech. (Laughter.) And that would be Senator George
Voinovich and Senator Mike DeWine. I want to thank you for coming.
(Applause.) There they are, yes.
I was telling -- talking to George about what we were going to do
here today. He said, you know, when I was a governor, I recognized the
role of community colleges and job training. And I want to give George
credit where credit is due. He was a pioneer in making sure that the
curriculum of the community college system in Ohio was relevant to the
needs of employers and potential employees. What we're really here to
talk about is something that George Voinovich started. And I'm
grateful. (Applause.)
That tradition, by the way, is being carried on by your current
governor, Governor Bob Taft. I'm honored you're here, Governor. Thank
you for coming. (Applause.) I appreciate Paul Gillmor. Congressman
Gillmor is with us today. Congressman, thank you for coming.
(Applause.) He was quick to point out that Owens is in his district.
(Laughter.) I'm quick to point out, you better take care of Owens.
It's doing a fine job, Congressman. I appreciate you. (Applause.)
And you are, and you are.
We've got as lot of local officials here, mayors, and -- I
appreciate you coming. We've got members of the school board who are
here, trustees of this important college. And I want to thank you all
for being here.
Last night I had the opportunity to address the nation. I talked
about a lot of subjects that were on my mind. One of them, of course,
is that we still fight the war on terror. I just want to assure you
that I understand my most important obligation as your President is to
keep this country secure and strong. And we've got a lot of good
people -- (applause.) And there are a lot of really good people
working on your behalf, whether it be people in the Homeland Security
Department -- and thank you for training people for the Homeland
Security Department -- local police, local firefighters, or the brave
men and women who wear our uniform, all of whom understand the solemn
obligation to protect the people.
We will never forget the lessons of September the 11th. We will
stay on the offensive. We will win the war on terror, and make sure
that America is secure and free. (Applause.)
I see local officers here. It is very important that we provide
law enforcement with the tools necessary to fight and win this war. I
called for the renewal of the Patriot Act. I want to tell you why. It
is important that we be able to share information at the federal
level. It's important we have the authority to be able to seize
assets. These tools in the Patriot Act, most of the tools we have been
using for years against embezzlers or criminals. We're at war. It
seems like to me it is logical that we apply tools that we've used to
catch embezzlers to be able to catch terrorists. The Congress needs to
renew the Patriot Act so we can win the war on terror and secure the
homeland. (Applause.)
I also reminded the people that we've been through a lot in this
country, particularly when it comes to the economy -- just a brief
recap -- we've been through a recession. That means three-quarters of
negative growth, which means people get laid off their jobs. We had a
terrorist attack which affected the psychology of the country. It
really did. It changed foreign policy. By the way, when you see a
gathering threat, we can no longer ignore it and hope it goes away. It
also said to America that we are -- we can be hurt by an enemy that
hates us. And it affected us. It really did.
We had corporate scandals. I oftentimes talk about the need to
usher in a period of personal responsibility. If you're a CEO in
corporate America, you're responsible for telling the truth to your
shareholders and your employees. And we pass laws to make that
abundantly clear.
And then, we marched to war. We took gathering threats seriously
and we dealt with them. The world was better off without Saddam
Hussein and the Taliban. But all that -- (applause.) The march to
war affected our psychology and confidence. It is hard to be
optimistic about the future when you turn on your TV screens and say,
America is marching to war. War is not positive. War is -- it sends
the signal that there will be uncertainty. We're not marching to
peace. And -- but we overcome a lot. And it's important for our
citizens to remember that.
We overcame it, in my judgment, because we properly stimulated the
economy by letting people keep their money. And now we're growing.
Nationwide, this economy is strong -- housing up, inflation's low,
interest rates are low. We had good exports the last quarter, new jobs
are being created -- I mean, last month on the exports. Things are
happening.
I fully recognize, in Ohio there are still troubled times. The
manufacturing here is sluggish at best, and, therefore, people are
looking for work. People who could rely upon a steady job in the
manufacturing sector are hoping to be able to realize their hopes by
finding work elsewhere.
There are some things we can do to make sure the Ohio manufacturing
sector is strong. One is to make sure our trading partners understand
we expect there to be free, but level -- the playing field needs to be
level; that we expect countries like China to understand that trade
imbalances doesn't mean -- that says that the trade is not balanced and
fair, that they've got to deal with their currency.
We also need an energy policy, by the way. If you rely upon
manufacturing to have a vibrant job base, you've got to have an energy
policy. Manufacturers need to have a reliable source of energy. We're
too dependent on foreign sources of energy. We got public policy that
is -- that makes it difficult for Ohio's manufacturers to say, we got a
reliable source of energy. We've run up the demand for natural gas, we
haven't had a corresponding increase in natural gas. It's hard to keep
people working when your energy bills are going out of sight. We need
an energy policy. I called on Congress to pass one, and they need to
get one to my desk. (Applause.)
One other issue that makes it hard for people to stay working in
certain industries is that we got a problem with medical liability.
There are junk and frivolous lawsuits which are running good docs out
of business. Now, look, any doctor who is a bad doc deserves to be
held to task. But you can't have a system where people just file
lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit, fishing for a rich settlement --
(applause) -- because what that's going to do is it's going to run up
the cost of health care and drive good docs out of business. And that
affects the ability for employers to keep people working. Congress
needs to pass medical liability reform now. (Applause.)
These are some of the ways to make sure the manufacturing activity
of this state remains strong. But the truth of the matter is, there is
job growth in other sectors, and, therefore, we'd better have a system
which is able to be flexible enough to help people who want to work
find a job, to match willing worker with willing employer. And that's
what we're here to talk about.
Very quickly, the first stage to make sure workers are trained is
to make sure our public education system does its job. The No Child
Left Behind Act is challenging what I call the soft bigotry of low
expectations. We're raising standards, we're trusting local people to
make the right decisions. But we expect every child -- every child --
not just a few, but every child to learn the basics of reading and
math. Like I said last night, I'm going to repeat here, the days of
just quitting on kids early and shuffling them through our public
schools is over. (Applause.)
The ability for these community colleges to do their job means we
better have people coming out of high school who can read and write and
add and subtract. The best place to start is early. (Applause.) And
we're starting early now in America. We're testing to make sure we
figure out who needs extra help. And the federal government is
increasing federal spending, particularly on Title I students, in
dramatic fashion. I also think we need to spend additional money for
kids in high school. See, there's a learning gap where the
accountability systems are late in arriving in certain places, and,
therefore, some kids have been shuffled through.
Last night I didn't specify what I meant, but I'll tell you right
now what I meant. I think we need to spend an additional $100 million
for high school and intermediate reading programs. We want these kids
at least reading when they're coming out of high school. And you've
got to be honest about it. And these presidents of these community
colleges will tell you, sometimes they're getting kids out of high
school that can't read. And that's a shame. And that's not right.
And we can focus extra resources there.
We need people who are more steeped in math and sciences. And,
therefore, it's important for us to encourage scientists and
mathematicians to teach part-time, and to make sure our teachers are
properly trained in the math and sciences so they can impart knowledge
that is necessary for kids to have a bright future. We got extra
teacher training money, about $120 million a year.
I think we need to have more advanced placement programs in
low-income schools to encourage rigorous curriculum for all students.
See, if you're challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations, you
believe every child can learn. And, therefore, we ought to be raising
that bar for all students. And so we've got money in the budget, $28
million, to encourage advanced placement programs to go into
neighborhoods that have not had the benefit of an advanced placement
program. And then, to coincide that, I think we ought to have
increased Pell grants for students who qualify and take rigorous
curriculum, and that would be Pell grants of up to $1,000 additional
money. (Applause.)
I'm telling you -- what I'm telling you is we're focusing on people
who can achieve the great promise of our country. We're not going to
quit on anybody. And we're going to make sure the community college
system does its job. As you know full well, particularly if you're a
trustee of the community college, that most of the money is local
money, but the federal government can help, particularly when it comes
to job training.
The President talked about the job training initiative I talked
about last night. It's $250 million of direct money to help on these
programs which match workers with employers. There's no better place
to do that than the community college system. The community college
system is flexible. The community college system is local. The
community college system accepts input.
And that's what we're here to talk about. It's very important for
people who are listening to this conversation that if you're running a
community college, I want you to pay attention to what Owens has done.
And as importantly, if you're somebody out there who doesn't see a
bright tomorrow, listen to the two students. They may look old to be
students -- (laughter) -- but nobody's too old to be a student.
(Applause.)
Let me -- why don't we -- you heard from Dr. Adams. I don't know
if you want to elaborate beyond this, Dr. Adams. I thought your
explanation about what your community college is doing was great. It
should be clear to people when you hear the number of students being
trained for work -- 18,000 I think you said -- is the reason I'm here.
You've got 18,000 people coming through here who are better skilled to
meet the jobs being generated in this part of the world. And if you
want to elaborate on that, you can. She also told me a lot about
nursing, by the way. We've got a nursing -- (applause) -- yes, there
you are. It's a nursing shortage?
Q Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Forty thousand students? Well, anyway.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: The guy who is responsible for making sure the
curriculum actually adjusts and doesn't stay stuck -- what you've got
to worry about, if you're in the local community, you've got to ask
this question to a provost, are you flexible? (Laughter.) In other
words, if somebody shows up and says, we've got a demand for jobs, will
the community college adjust?
It used to be, in the old days when they held governors to account
as to whether or not we are meeting work force requirements, it didn't
matter what job you trained somebody for, all that matters is you train
them. So I'm sure this didn't happen with Voinovich; it might have
happened with me. You go out and train a thousand hair dressers for 50
jobs. But everybody said, you did a fine job, you're training a lot of
people. The key is to train people for the work which actually
exists. No better place to do that than in a community college.
That's why we're spending $250 million to encourage that.
Paul Unger is with us. He's the provost -- fancy word for the guy
responsible for making sure it works. (Laughter.) And he is.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, see, I hope everybody listened to what he just
said. He said, we take input. Sometimes institutions of higher
education don't take input and miss opportunity. Owens takes input
because they're willing to listen to the people on the front lines of
hiring, making the hiring decisions, for which I'm grateful.
Jim Gilmore is the coordinator here of the Skilled Trades
Technology and Integrated Systems Technology Programs. Why don't you
tell us what that means, what a coordinator does, and -- just tell me
what you do.
MR. GILMORE: Coordinator is a fancy word for the guy who does a
lot and --
THE PRESIDENT: And gets no credit.
MR. GILMORE: And gets no credit. (Laughter.)
* * * * *
MR. GILMORE: The other part of my position is to work with local
area business and industry and find out what those needs are, what are
they looking for, and if they have an opening, to put those students
with those companies and match them up.
THE PRESIDENT: How do you do that? In other words, if some person
out there says, I need to hire five new people, how does that person
get in touch with you? How does --
MR. GILMORE: What are you looking for, Mr. President? (Laughter
and applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: I'm trying to think of a cute answer. (Laughter.)
MR. GILMORE: The quiet ones are dangerous. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: That's right. I don't need a new wife,
fortunately. (Laughter.) I married really well. (Laughter.)
MR. GILMORE: In my position, companies will usually seek us out
and ask us specifically, we are looking for people with these skills.
For example, a company might say, we're looking for maintenance people
and we need our maintenance people to have skills in hydraulics,
pneumatics, electronics, PLCs. And they might come to me and say, do
you have somebody in mind, or can you put me in touch with a placement
service with anybody that would have an idea of what Owens and Owens
students have to offer. And most typically, we'll put them in touch
with our placement service, the Wood County's placement service or
Lucas County, or whatever county that that company happens to reside
in. And we match those people to find them the right job. So it's a
two-way street.
THE PRESIDENT: Good job. Here's the thing, that -- he talks about
one-stop; let me tell you what that means. That means there's one
place at the local level where a -- somebody who is looking for work
can go to try to find a job. That's what that means. And there's a
lot of opportunities around the country at one-stops. It's one of the
interesting innovations which government put in place in the past
decade to make sure that people are able to find a job. They can find
help there, they can find counseling services.
Better to explain the one-stop than me is Ruth Larabee. She is the
Director of the Wood County Department of Jobs and Family Services.
Would you please tell everybody what a one-stop does, what your day is
like, what -- here in the community are people looking for workers?
What do you see and what do you hear?
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: You heard me talk about statistics, and they're
good. There's no doubt things are getting better. And that's
positive. There's no doubt the economy is changing because of
technology. And that's interesting. It makes for great interesting
opportunities.
But one of the things we've got to recognize in our society as
technology races through the economy, some people could conceivably be
-- are being left behind because of the skill sets, and that we welcome
innovation, productivity increases. These are all positive for labor
stability, higher wages, better opportunity. But this country of ours
must also recognize that the work force needs to be constantly trained
to stay up with the technological advances.
And two people to best talk about that are with us today --
students, people who are not satisfied with falling behind, people who
have found that there's opportunity and are willing to seize it.
I was teasing Becky, publicly, of course, here. (Laughter.) But I
did so with pride in my voice, I want you to know, because she is --
has struggled. And here she sits with a bright future. And so I want
you to share your story with us, Becky. She's a good soul who has got
-- and I told Becky coming in here today, I said, there's people just
like you, Becky, who are probably watching, or may be watching, who
just got to know that because of what you have done here at Owens,
they've got a shot, too. They've got an opportunity to improve
themselves. So let her go.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: This good soul says, I've got a skill set, I need
to upgrade it; that the world is changing, I need to change with it.
Community colleges need to change, but people also have got to make the
conscious decision to seize opportunity, to see a brighter future.
That's what I love about Becky's story. She could have just said,
well, I quit. But she didn't. She found opportunity.
Some of the people may be out there wondering whether or not this
is affordable, whether or not there is any help. And why don't you
tell us, Becky, what you found?
MS. ALBRITTON: I found, when I went out to the one-stop, that
tuition was available, and they pay for your tuition, they pay for your
books. The only thing they don't pay for is your time. That's
honest.
THE PRESIDENT: That's good. (Laughter.) Let me ask you this
question, is it worth it?
MS. ALBRITTON: Very much so, very much so.
THE PRESIDENT: There you go. (Applause.)
The other living example of what is possible when people make up
their mind to improve themselves and seek opportunity, and the local
community provides those opportunities, is Mike. Mike Potter is with
us. He's the pretty one down there on the end. (Laughter.) I asked
Mike to share his story with you because I think you'll find it
interesting. I think anybody who wonders whether or not they can learn
a new skill should listen to what Mike has to say. Mike, why don't you
let her go.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: How long did it take? I mean, you're laid off, you
come here -- how long did it take you to get prepared, to get -- to be
ready for the new kind of job, the higher paying job? Because,
frankly, he was more productive as a worker. He had the skills
necessary to fit into the changing economy. How long were you here
for?
MR. POTTER: The program -- actually it's a self-based program.
It's an excellent program for anybody that doesn't have much trouble
with -- well, that has trouble with book work, I'm sorry. It's
hands-on, self-paced. And that's what was a great part. It actually
took me about three or four months to finish the program.
THE PRESIDENT: So it's not a lifetime?
MR. POTTER: No, no, not at all.
THE PRESIDENT: You're able to come in, move quickly, get some
skills, and all of a sudden, somebody says, I love his attitude, he's a
hard worker, and he's got the skill sets necessary to fit into this new
work force. That's what people need to know.
MR. POTTER: Everything is changing. People don't just want to see
a person with just one skill anymore, they want several skills. And
that's what the IST program offers.
THE PRESIDENT: That's good. Thanks for sharing. You did a great
job. (Applause.)
Our two students here are serving as mentors, in a way, aren't
they? They're saying what is possible. And I want to thank you all
for sharing your story. I'm sure it was a nerve-wracking experience --
(laughter) -- thinking about coming here. (Laughter.) Look at all
those cameras.
We've got another mentor with us today. Bruce Vanisacker is with
us. He came out to the airport to meet me. It's an interesting idea
he's doing. He has started what's called First Robotics, that teaches
and inspires young people to be interested in the sciences. And that's
important. Science and engineering and mathematics are all essential
as we head into the 21st century.
I appreciate Bruce coming because it gives me a chance to remind
people here and in Toledo and around the state of Ohio and the country
that the true strength of the country lies in the hearts and souls of
our fellow citizens; that we're a mighty military country -- we'll stay
that way, in order to keep the peace -- that we've got wealth, compared
to other countries, and that's good, but the true strength can be found
in neighborhoods where people have decided to mentor a child, to teach
a person to read or write, to love the homeless, to help feed the
hungry.
Bruce is with us. Bruce, thank you for coming. You might stand up
right quick. (Applause.) He happens to be interested in science and
robotics, but really what he's doing, when you think about it, is
mentoring a child.
This country is prosperous. We're going to be more prosperous, but
we don't want anybody left behind. No child should be left behind in
the education system; no worker left behind because we haven't created
a flexible system in order to get skills, nobody who needs love left
behind. Government can't make people love one another, but we darn
sure can encourage people who love to reach out to a neighbor in need.
America can change for the better one heart, one soul, one
conscience at a time, and I call upon you to be a part of the army of
compassion, to help make this community and this state and our country
one of hope for every single citizen who lives here.
It's such an honor to be here today. I thank our panelists for
what I have found to be an interesting discussion. I hope you have, as
well. And thank you all for coming.