Douglas Alexander: “it is my pleasure to co-sponsor, the Higher Education Access, Affordability and Opportunity Act being introduced to day…”

“it is my pleasure to co-sponsor, the Higher Education Access, Affordability and Opportunity Act being introduced to day by Senator Enzi. This legislation is an issue of great concern to Senators and our constituents: job loss. There is really nothing new about job loss in America. Our strength as an economy is not measured by how many jobs we lose; it is measured by how many good new jobs we create to replace those jobs and how well we train those people to fill those jobs. We don't want to lose any jobs. We want to recognize the pain that goes with moving from one job to another. But, the best thing we can do about job loss is to create an environment in which good new jobs can grow and to offer the training resources necessary to hold those jobs. Senator Enzi believes, as do I, that a comprehensive approach to creating jobs and training workers is necessary to adapt to the changing demands of the modern economy. The Higher Education Act was enacted to give more students a change to attend college. It was not intended to be a job training bill, nor should it become one. There is, however, a need to create a stronger partnership between institutions of higher education and the 21st century workforce. The goal of access to higher education and the goal of training a highly skilled workforce are not mutually exclusive. Community colleges are our secret weapons in workforce development.…”