to self-sufficiency.
It has been eye-opening to me how many roads to restoring the American Dream lead to education. The ultimate opportunity equalizerâthe ultimate wage enhancerâis a good and relevant education. But the children of the poor begin the race for the American Dream three steps behind the rest. Itâs no wonder, then, that so many are failing to catch up.
The education necessary for good jobs doesnât end once youâre in the workforce. For those in low-wage jobs especially, training in the skills necessary for the jobs of the new economy is essential. But many donât have the time or the money to pursue a traditional higher education. We can help them by bolstering and reinvigorating our nationâs existing job training system, giving high school students the skills that lead directly to well-paying work after graduation.
As usual, local communities are racing ahead and waiting for the federal government to catch up. For instance, in Miami, one local school district has partnered with a car dealership to create an innovative approach to career education. The Braman Automotive Training Center is a free vocational training program for inner-city high school students. Students spend six months in the classroom and then a year getting on-the-job training in Bramanâs service, parts and body departments. Each student is paid for his or her work and is paired with a senior employee as a mentor. There have been two graduating classes so far, and with the help of the program all graduates have found jobs, either at Bramanâs or at other automotive shops. This is just one example of how we need to change our education and job training approach. While our workforce delivery system must be driven by states, the federal government can help address the shortage in many skilled-labor jobs by creating more pathways toward obtaining these certification credentials and by encouraging alternatives to the traditionally accredited.
The millions of people currently trapped in poverty and low-wage jobs are a tremendous untapped resource. Just think of what it would mean for America to gain full use of the talents and abilities of all its people. They would develop new innovations to improve our lives, or help build the next great American company. They would be doctors in our hospitals and scientists in our labs. They would be customers for our businesses and partners in our investments. They would be leaders in our government and pastors in our churches. Imagine how much greater a country we would be if the dreams and talents of over forty million human beings were unleashed into our economy.
As with many Americans, this fight is personal to me. My mother was one of seven girls whose parents often went to bed hungry so their children wouldnât. My father lost his mother when he was nine. He left school and went to work at about the same age of my youngest son now.
Iâm one of the blessed ones, and I try to never forget it. I live each day one generation removed from poverty, grateful to my grandparents, to my parents and to my country. Our status as a land of equal opportunity has made us a rich and powerful nation, but it has also made us a special one. It has transformed lives and families. It has given people like me the chance to grow up knowing that no dream was too big and no goal out of reach, that the son of a bartender and a maid could have the same dreams and the same opportunities as the son of a millionaire or a president.
Now there are millions of Americans trying to access these same opportunities. There are struggling parents trying to give their children the chances my parents gave me. There are children growing up like I did, with dreams just like mine. Whether or not they get the chance to improve their lives will determine whether we remain a special place, or become just another country.
For when America ceases to value opportunity, work and independence for
It has been eye-opening to me how many roads to restoring the American Dream lead to education. The ultimate opportunity equalizerâthe ultimate wage enhancerâis a good and relevant education. But the children of the poor begin the race for the American Dream three steps behind the rest. Itâs no wonder, then, that so many are failing to catch up.
The education necessary for good jobs doesnât end once youâre in the workforce. For those in low-wage jobs especially, training in the skills necessary for the jobs of the new economy is essential. But many donât have the time or the money to pursue a traditional higher education. We can help them by bolstering and reinvigorating our nationâs existing job training system, giving high school students the skills that lead directly to well-paying work after graduation.
As usual, local communities are racing ahead and waiting for the federal government to catch up. For instance, in Miami, one local school district has partnered with a car dealership to create an innovative approach to career education. The Braman Automotive Training Center is a free vocational training program for inner-city high school students. Students spend six months in the classroom and then a year getting on-the-job training in Bramanâs service, parts and body departments. Each student is paid for his or her work and is paired with a senior employee as a mentor. There have been two graduating classes so far, and with the help of the program all graduates have found jobs, either at Bramanâs or at other automotive shops. This is just one example of how we need to change our education and job training approach. While our workforce delivery system must be driven by states, the federal government can help address the shortage in many skilled-labor jobs by creating more pathways toward obtaining these certification credentials and by encouraging alternatives to the traditionally accredited.
The millions of people currently trapped in poverty and low-wage jobs are a tremendous untapped resource. Just think of what it would mean for America to gain full use of the talents and abilities of all its people. They would develop new innovations to improve our lives, or help build the next great American company. They would be doctors in our hospitals and scientists in our labs. They would be customers for our businesses and partners in our investments. They would be leaders in our government and pastors in our churches. Imagine how much greater a country we would be if the dreams and talents of over forty million human beings were unleashed into our economy.
As with many Americans, this fight is personal to me. My mother was one of seven girls whose parents often went to bed hungry so their children wouldnât. My father lost his mother when he was nine. He left school and went to work at about the same age of my youngest son now.
Iâm one of the blessed ones, and I try to never forget it. I live each day one generation removed from poverty, grateful to my grandparents, to my parents and to my country. Our status as a land of equal opportunity has made us a rich and powerful nation, but it has also made us a special one. It has transformed lives and families. It has given people like me the chance to grow up knowing that no dream was too big and no goal out of reach, that the son of a bartender and a maid could have the same dreams and the same opportunities as the son of a millionaire or a president.
Now there are millions of Americans trying to access these same opportunities. There are struggling parents trying to give their children the chances my parents gave me. There are children growing up like I did, with dreams just like mine. Whether or not they get the chance to improve their lives will determine whether we remain a special place, or become just another country.
For when America ceases to value opportunity, work and independence for
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