New careers and more job opportunities for Americans are on the horizon, according to a multi-billion dollar initiative announced yesterday that will help support workforce development and job training within community colleges across the country.

Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, was joined by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter in hosting a conference call for the press yesterday. The call announced the awarding of $500 million in grants to community colleges designed to help support employment services for the unemployed.

The grant – in conjunction with President Barack Obama’s American Jobs Act – is the first leg of a four-year, $2 billion plan that will add additional support to the unemployed, help produce newer opportunities and provide a transition to jobs for community college students.

“The goal is to deliver strong partnerships with community colleges to help students gain skills that are relevant to workforce needs,” said Biden.

“The announcement today of close to $500 million in awards to community colleges could not be more timely,” she added. “This infusion of resources will support students who need to acquire skills and get the degrees and certificates that will make them more competitive in the workplace. The grants are focused on helping these institutions train students for jobs in high work industries where there is present demand for skilled workers.”

The announcement comes as part of the first round of the initiative in which 32 colleges across the United States – including Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass. – will receive grants of at least $2.7 million to disperse to its respective institutions, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Education.

The grants are part of Obama’s goal for America to have the highest number of college graduates in the world by the year 2020 and for every American to complete at least one year of postsecondary education.

And, as Secretary Solis emphasized, this approach will help Americans pursue attainable jobs amidst a tough economy.
“For millions of Americans, these schools offer real world training and education that is financially within their reach,” said Solis. “When President Barack Obama proposed the American Jobs Act earlier this month, he said he would pursue every good idea to put our unemployed individuals back to work, no matter who proposes it. Today we’re making a strategic investment that meets the President’s test.”

With the support from these grants, community colleges will be able to provide the training needed to fill positions across several sectors, including everything from transportation to health care to STEM – science, technology, engineering and math.

According to the plan, the role community colleges play is critical in building a successful future for the American job market.

“Community colleges are community assets,” said Solis. “They understand the needs of local employers [and] we designed this grant program to help meet the needs of local industries.”

The announced grants are also part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative, in which the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act included the aforementioned four-year, $2 billion plan, according to the release.

Stephen Hewitt can be reached at [email protected].