President Obama gave current and future SRJC students and faculty a lot to consider on the 13th, when he unveiled his nation-wide Community College Budget plan for 2013 to a crowd at Northern Virginia Community College.
The budget proposes an $8 billion grant to the Community College to Career Fund, which will provide more specialized training for students pursuing a 2 year degree. The goal of the program is to prepare young adults for new careers that are in high demand, as well as for the millions of projected job openings that will need to be filled with the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation.
To the portion of the student body that studies majors that are compatible with the Community College to Career Fund, the prospect of added resources is positive. Others are more skeptical.
“I think it’s a good idea in principle,” said sophomore Mike Dagnino. “The funding will help us fill those low to middle income jobs that are important to our infrastructure. I don’t necessarily agree with spending more money to bail ourselves out of debt though.” Stimulus has been a theme of the Obama administration and the prolonged efforts have frustrated many Americans into searching elsewhere for a solution for the economy.
Some students who plan on transferring to a four-year university can see the benefits of investing in community college career training. For sophomore Billy Cole the new plan seems sensible. “I think that pumping money into education as opposed to the usual things that we have been trying or even worse, the Department of Defense, seems smart,” said Cole. “Even though I plan on transferring, I think it is a good idea to prepare people for these jobs that we really need them to perform.”
