| Problem | Components Policy issue area Society |
|---|---|
| Policy issue: | Education |
| Description: | Rapid job market changes require continuous opportunities for education and training. |
| Symptoms: | Unemployable labor force (20 to 30% of displaced workers lack basic skills); shortages of skilled labor and professionals (U.S. percentage of graduates is shrinking, while industrialized nations' share is rising). |
| Causes: | Educational system that is too rigid and formalistic; poor education in basics (especially in mathematics); lack of good labor training programs; insufficient numbers graduate as scientists, engineers and technicians, caused in part by government budget cuts. |
| Cost of problem: | - |
| Solution | Components |
| Resources: | Educational institutions; educators; Federal, state and local government; business and industry. |
| Goal: | 1. Provide at least twelve years of high quality schooling for everyone 2. Provide on-going retraining programs as the needs of the economy change 3. Provide for all qualified students to be able to attend college 4. Improve the quality of elementary and secondary education 5. Strengthen vocational education and job training programs, involving the participation of business 6. Welfare recipients to participate in workfare, including job training. |
| Program area: | Human resources development |
| Program-remedy: | 1. Expanded Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) 2. Funding for increased education investment in science, mathematics and computer education 3. Financial incentives to private employers and workers to help pay the cost of training and retraining workers (both entering or part of the labor force) 4. Financial support for business-labor cooperative efforts to relocate workers in new jobs 5. Provide adjustment assistance to workers to upgrade existing or acquire new employment skills 6. Provide new support for higher education, through an expanded student loan program. |
| Program-prevent: | National policy, to combine economic development with education and job training programs. |
| Cost of program: | - |
| Beneficiaries: | Working adults and their families; business and industry. |