Job Creation? Not Without Worker Training

President Obama's State of the Union outlined a renewed commitment to job creation and focused on investing in the American people once more. For his initiatives to be successful however, the Administration and Congress must greatly invest in worker training if Americans are going to gain the skills needed to take advantage of emerging job opportunities. The Institute for America's Future, in partnership with the National Skills Coalition, will release later today, "The Bridge to a New Economy: Worker Training Fills the Gap" a state-by state report highlighting the importance of worker training investments, and why community colleges, business and labor must also come to the table.

Looking forward, job creation initiatives that the President proposed will provide solid growth for middle-skill jobs. The middle-skill sector requires occupations with an associate's degree or some form of post-secondary certification. They span various fields from nursing and construction to information technology. Much of the employment provided by the Recovery Act or "stimulus' for instance, were in this category. And looking out through the next decade, as the economy begins to pick up speed and grow again, middle-skill jobs will be a significant portion of the job market according to the latest projections by the Department of Labor.