Back to school keeps America moving forward

As the end of summer draws near, parents and students prepare for back-to-school season. Now is an appropriate time to reflect on why education is so important to individual opportunity and America’s economic security.

There is a powerful correlation between education and success in the workplace. The nation’s unemployment rate is steady at 5 percent; lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. A closer look at employment data clearly shows education is important to employment security in our economy. The July unemployment rate for workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 2.4 percent; for workers with some college or an associate degree, 3.7 percent; for workers with a high school diploma, 4.8 percent; and for workers with less than a high school diploma, 7.6 percent. We’ve seen 25 straight months of job growth, for a total of four million new jobs created since the jobs recovery began in 2003.

Many of these new jobs, however, require more education and higher skills. There are over 3.5 million job vacancies waiting to be filled on any given day—a sure sign of strong demand for those with the right skills. Those essential skills can be learned in many different ways. In addition to traditional four-year colleges and universities, postsecondary education can include community and technical colleges, apprenticeships, intern programs, and on-the-job training.

Thankfully, no matter what your age, it is never too late to go back-to-school to upgrade your skills. That’s why President Bush has launched several initiatives to help workers upgrade their skills and access these new opportunities. The President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative identifies sectors of the economy that are growing rapidly and helps workers get the skills required for these jobs. As part of the President’s program, the Department of Labor has already awarded $204 million to foster public-private partnerships that will help workers train for jobs in high growth fields. New jobs are being created in health care; technology; financial services; and the skilled trades. In health care alone, there is a tremendous shortage of skilled workers. By 2012 our country will need more than four million new health care workers. This includes more than 1 million new registered nurses. And construction is another high growth industry. It is expected to add approximately 1 million new jobs by 2012, including electricians, carpenters and construction managers.

There are good paying jobs across a wide spectrum of industries and occupations. To help Americans access these growing opportunities, the President launched $250 million Community Job Training Grant Initiative. This program can help expand the capacity of community colleges, and other education providers, to train workers with skills in demand.

So as moms and dads across America prepare for the back-to-school season, it is important to remind students, both young and old, of just how important education is to building a solid career path. Education opens the doors of opportunity, provides better wages and employment security, and will help ensure that America’s prosperity is shared by everyone. (By Elaine L. Chao)

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The author is the U.S. Secretary of Labor.