President Bush Discusses Job Training Initiative in North Carolina
Remarks by the President in Conversation with Students and Faculty on Job Training and the Economy
Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1:05 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: First I want to thank you very much for being a
host. It's not easy to host the President and his entourage.
(Laughter.) But we have an interesting opportunity to have a
discussion for the country. It's a discussion about the importance of
education and jobs. It's a discussion about the importance of making
sure the education system is flexible enough to help train people for
jobs which exist today and will exist tomorrow.
So I really want to thank you for hosting this. This is an
important dialogue. The economy has obviously taken its toll on parts
of North Carolina. The manufacturing sector has been hit, the textile
industry has been hit -- people have lost work. And yet in other
sectors of the economy here in North Carolina are growing. And we've
got to make sure we're able to match the skills and talent and drive of
North Carolina citizens with the jobs of the future. And a great place
to do that is at the community colleges here in North Carolina and all
around the country. And that's really what we're here to herald.
So I want to thank you for giving me a chance to visit. I look
forward to hearing our panelists. I want to thank you all for taking
time out of your day to come and help educate the country about this
fantastic program and effort you've got right here. So, Dr. Green,
you're a good man for hosting us, and I appreciate it. (Applause.)
* * * *
THE PRESIDENT: It's very important for this type of education to
be demand-driven. I remember the old days in Texas, there would be
job'training programs -- they really didn't care whether the jobs
actually existed. All they want to do is make sure you're trained.
(Laughter.) So you end up with, like, 1,500 hairdressers for 25 jobs.
And so my question to you is -- first of all, let me make it
clear. On the grant, what we're talking about is a $754,000 grant to
Forsyth Tech. The Congressman gets a lot of credit for arranging this
because we are very aware that certain sectors of the country were
losing jobs. The job mix is shifting. The economy, as it grows,
sometimes there's a different shift in the type of jobs available. You
hear a lot of talk about productivity increases. You mentioned
productivity increases. A lot of the manufacturing sector is seeing
job loss because the worker is more productive. In other words, an
hour of a person's time yields more product. And unless demand
outstrips productivity, it's a pressure on the job base.
But productivity increases, by the way, are going to mean higher
paying jobs. It's important for our economy to have productivity
increases, because in the long run, it makes a lot of sense. It in the
short run, it creates some dislocation for workers. We're going to
hear from some in a minute. And the job grant program recognized that
this part of the world had had some job losses. And yet there were
some wonderful workers and wonderful people who are anxious to be able
to employ their skills in a field that was actually growing.
And so my question to you is that as you -- and the doc here -- as
you have a curriculum change, explain to people how it is
demand-driven, the curriculum change. In other words, a curriculum is
actually relevant to the job base here in the local communities.
* * * *
THE PRESIDENT: First of all, I thank you for the credit, but you
get the credit. You're the person that made the decision that you want
to do something with your life. I can't make that decision for you.
That's your call to make, and you get the credit. And for that, I
really -- I appreciate that a lot.
Let me say something about one of the interesting innovations, and
it's an important innovation, is these one-stop centers that the
community college system is plugged into. A one-stop center is a place
where a person such as Scott can go and say, I've got this interest,
what's available. You call it up on the web, or you used the high-tech
world to help bring information to your screen. And the one-stop
centers are really a -- kind of a innovative idea to allow for people
to not only find what may be available, in other words, be able to
judge demand for jobs themselves -- they say, oh look, these people are
looking for work here, this industry is looking for work here -- but it
also helps people find job training programs. It's very important for
the community colleges to be plugged into these one-stop center because
they become the bridge to the job, become the -- help create the
skill-set necessary for someone to access a job. And as well, one-stop
centers have got resume help.
And so for those out there who are interested in doing what Scott
and the others up here have done, I suggest you go to your regional
one-stop centers. You'll find a lot of help. The job of the people
there is to help you find -- match your interests or your inclinations
with jobs that actually exist.
I appreciate you bringing it up, Scott. You made the decision --
you made the decision to go back to school, which isn't easy,
particularly for an old guy like you. (Laughter.)
MR. HINER: There is a lot of government help out there, you just
have to go find it. And, like I said, I really appreciate it being out
there.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I appreciate you saying that. We -- as the
economy changes, as technology changes, the slowest part of change is
the work force. And we've just got to understand that we've got to
make sure our workers, who are the most productive in the world, the
hardest-working people in the world, the finest people in the world,
have the skills necessary to move on with their lives. And I
appreciate the example you set.
* * * *
THE PRESIDENT: So if somebody is listening right now and they say
biotechnology field, how would you describe that? Give somebody a
sense for what it means. I'm sure there's a lot of people frightened
-- biotechnology is a long word and it sounds -- (laughter) -- they
may say, well, I don't know if I'm smart enough to be in biotechnology,
or it sounds too sophisticated to be in biotechnology. It didn't
frighten you. Why?
MS. MOSER: Because I was thinking pharmaceuticals and things like
that, and they're going to teach me what I need to know. They're not
going to let me out of there until I know it.
THE PRESIDENT: And how is your education being paid?
MS. MOSER: Through the TAA.
THE PRESIDENT: TAA is a program like the Pell Grant program. The
good doctor here mentioned Pell Grants. People ought to take a look at
Pell Grants. Many of the community college students in our country
have their education funded by Pell Grants. We've dramatically
increased the funding of Pell Grants. It's up to about $12.7 billion
now on an annual basis, which means people can be able to find a
grant. These are grants, not loans, by the way. That's why they're
called Pell Grants. Otherwise it would be known as Pell loans.
(Laughter.)
But the budget is up quite dramatically over the last couple of
years, by 45 percent. The reason I say that is it's important for
people to know, as both our friends here have mentioned, that there is
a way to make sure that you get your -- your education is funded if you
work hard, if you look hard. There's money available. And that's
important for people to know.
Thank you. Good job.
* * * *
MS. ROBERTSON: When you got into a doctor's office or something,
you get to dictate what the doctor says and put it on the computer, and
then you get to put it in the file for the patient, whatever, so they
can understand them, because -- have you ever seen them write?
(Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I have. Some people say my writing is worse
than the doctor's. (Laughter.) But I won't take it personally.
MS. ROBERTSON: So they need a little help.
THE PRESIDENT: Tell us why are you -- what were you doing before
you came here.
MS. ROBERTSON: I was in a textile plant, and it went overseas.
And I wanted to better myself, so I went to the medical field.
THE PRESIDENT: You're a mother?
MS. ROBERTSON: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: How old is your child?
MS. ROBERTSON: Five.
THE PRESIDENT: Single mom.
MS. ROBERTSON: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: You've got the toughest job in America. Yes, you
do. That's good. And so have you started class here?
MS. ROBERTSON: Yes, this fall.
THE PRESIDENT: You making all A's?
MS. ROBERTSON: Not quite, but I'm getting there.
THE PRESIDENT: People are listening. (Laughter.) And so you're
studying medical transcription.
MS. ROBERTSON: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: And are you good on the computer?
MS. ROBERTSON: I'm getting better.
THE PRESIDENT: That's good. So that's part of the curriculum.
And so what has happened here is that they've come and they've helped
this education institution develop a curriculum that is actually
practical, so you believe that once you finish the curriculum you'll be
able to walk right out and sign up for work.
MS. ROBERTSON: Yes, and also it helps you where you can do it at
your home.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, good, so you can do your first job, the most
important job, which is to be a mother. And then be a student.
Thanks. Congratulations. How is your kid doing, learning to
read?
MS. ROBERTSON: Oh, yes.
THE PRESIDENT: That's the most important thing you can do right
now, is teach your child -- get them to read more than they watch TV.
Sorry to all the TV cameras out there. (Laughter and applause.)
* * * *
THE PRESIDENT: We had a recent report out which -- this is the
beginning of good news for job seekers -- over the last three months
the economy, the entrepreneurs, the private sector and others have
driven the job base up by 285,000 jobs, new jobs, which is good. In
other words, things are beginning to brighten up for people looking for
work, which is positive. And therefore, we must make sure that people
are trained for jobs that exist.
* * * *
THE PRESIDENT: By the way, as these jobs get more sophisticated,
in other words, the training level is higher, no question about it.
But the pay is better. And that's what productivity increases do in a
society. As our society, particularly North Carolina economy shifts
from textiles to biotechnology, the pay gets better. And all we've got
to do is bridge from the textile sector to the biotechnology sector
with smart education practices. And that's what we're here talking
about.
It requires -- a smart education system requires a community
college which is flexible in their curriculum. If they're rigid, this
good man here wouldn't be designing a curriculum. If they we're rigid,
they wouldn't be listening to the employers of the community say,
listen, this is what we need; we need this kind of person or that kind
of person.
And the reason I'm here is because this is a model for others to
follow. In other parts of the country there's also workers being
displaced. And yet, there's great hope and opportunity because there's
wonderful job opportunity, so long as the training facilities are
modern and active and not rigid.
And I want to thank you for understanding that. And I want to
thank you for listening to people that are looking for workers. But
they're not looking for just the average worker, they're looking for a
trained worker. And so, therefore, job training programs are
essential. Government spends about $15 billion a year on job training
programs.
I've got to tell you, though, we need a little help from the
Congress -- Congressman -- to make sure that there's some flexibility,
not on how much money we spend, but how we spend it. Because these job
training programs -- he listed about three of them already, and for
every job training program there's kind of a government prescription
with it, which means that the more prescriptive programs are, the less
flexible they are. And the less flexible job training money is, it
makes it very difficult to be able to meet the needs of the local
community.
And therefore, I'm trying to work with Congress, Doc, to make sure
that these monies coming out of Washington are able to have as few
strings attached as possible, so that the states and the local
community colleges can apply that money to meet the needs of the local
employers. And then we'll be able to say for certain that the job
training initiatives are meeting the needs.
Yes, but thanks for -- thanks for being an entrepreneur.
* * * *
THE PRESIDENT: The job of the government is to make sure that the
entrepreneurial spirit of America is strong, make sure that people feel
comfortable in taking risk, that they're willing to start a small
business and grow it to a big business. And one of the interesting
aspects of making sure the entrepreneurial spirit is strong is tax
policy. And there's been a lot of talk -- you've heard, I'm sure,
the talk about the tax relief. Hopefully, you've seen some of it in
your pockets, like increasing that child credit for your
five-year-old. But what's interesting is that most small businesses
are sole-proprietorships or sub-chapter S corporations. That's when
they're start-ups. I'm sure you've seen that here in North Carolina.
And as a result, when you -- these are companies that pay tax at the
individual income tax rate, so that when you cut taxes on the
individual, you're also providing capital infusion into small
businesses.
And one of the very important things for our government to do is to
also understand there needs to be certainty in the tax code. If you're
a planner, an entrepreneur, in any field, you've got to know that the
tax policy today is likely to be the tax policy tomorrow. Because
uncertainty creates difficult to plan, therefore, makes it difficult
for people to hire.
And so one of the things I'm going to ask Congress to do is make
sure all this tax relief we pass is permanent. See, it goes away.
She, unfortunately, is going to have to pay -- receive less money in
her child credit if they don't make the tax relief permanent. The
small business owner, if they don't make the tax relief permanent, will
have to pay a inheritance tax or death tax on the business they've
created, which I don't think is fair. I think it should only be taxed
once, not twice. The marriage penalty relief is -- it's going to go
away. And it's important that there be certainty in order to make sure
this economy continues to grow.
I want to thank you for bringing up the entrepreneurial spirit.
That's the thing that makes America such a wonderful place, the kind of
place where people, if you have a dream, are able to realize your
dream. That applies not only to the business owner, the person coming
to the Research Triangle, the person who thinks they've got a better
idea than their neighbor and is willing to put a little something out
there, time, and capital on the line. It also applies to our workers,
people who have got their own dreams, their own set of dreams, the
dream of making sure the child grows up in a wonderful little,
comfortable, peaceful household. And our job in the government is to
help people realize their dreams. That's really what it is. We can't
make people dream, but we can help people once they start to dream.
And I thank you all for the compliments on the government. But the
compliments really belong here. See, you're doing what needs to be
done. And that's why I've got such wonderful optimism about our
country. I'm very optimistic about the fact that we'll keep the
peace. I'm very optimistic about the fact that people will find work
-- because there's a wonderful spirit here in America.
I met this guy right there. See him? Put your hand up. He's a
volunteer firefighter. Not you, Burr. (Laughter.) He's a volunteer
firefighter. He came out to the airport to say hello. It's an
interesting concept, isn't it -- volunteer firefighters, people
volunteering to put their lives on the line in order to save lives.
I recently went out to California -- I explained it to him when I
was at the airport. A lot of people on the front lines in the fire out
there were volunteers. The reason I bring that up is it should remind
us that the strength of the country is not our military, is not our
pocketbooks, it's the heart and soul of people. The entrepreneurial
spirit is the strength of the country. The willingness for people to
volunteer in the fire department is the strength of the country. And
once you realize how strong this country is in spirit, you can't help
but be optimistic about the future.
Thank you for having me here, Doc. Listen, I want to thank you all
for sharing your stories. It's not easy to stand up in front of all
these cameras, I know. (Laughter.) Although the cameramen are fine
people. But it's -- you were able to help -- help us make a point,
that people who have lost work should have hope; that with a little
initiative, a little ingenuity, a little drive, there's help for you.
The economy's growing, new jobs are being created. And we -- there's
an opportunity, and I hope you seize it. I hope you seize it.
Because there's a wonderful, wonderful future ahead for people who
may at this moment think their days are -- the future is a little
dark. And we've got three citizens right up here who are willing to
see the -- can see that bright light. So thanks for coming.
(Applause.)