Dan Coats: “school-to-work transition is a concept that I strongly endorse. Many of our youth, as we have previously heard, will not…”

“school-to-work transition is a concept that I strongly endorse. Many of our youth, as we have previously heard, will not go to college, and many who do go to college will not earn a degree. We need to provide meaningful opportunities for these students--and we need to provide them as early as possible. Not only do I support school-to-work as a theory, but I support many of the principles embodies in the legislation before us. Collaboration, public/private partnerships, mentorship--these are all important concepts, and crucial for an effective program. Unfortunately, the positive aspects of S. 1361 do not outweigh, in my mind, the problems with this proposal. First, I am concerned that this is yet another categorical program. According to the Government Accounting Office, we are presently funding over 150 job training programs at an estimated cost of $20 billion. The school-to-work bill adds another job training proposal to this already costly mix. And perhaps more important is the fact that it duplicates efforts already authorized to be provided to this same group--kids not bound for college.”