Bob Dole: “As we head into the 21st century, America must be prepared to meet the challenges of a world that is becoming…”

“As we head into the 21st century, America must be prepared to meet the challenges of a world that is becoming increasingly more competitive. Few can dispute the importance of a highly skilled and well-trained work force to America's competitive position and to her economic security. Now, the stated goal of the school-to-work bill is a laudable one: To help ease the transition from high school to the workplace. Far too many of our young people are not adequately equipped with the skills necessary to be effective workers. American productivity suffers as a result. Over the years, the Federal Government has pumped billions upon billions of dollars into job training: The Department of Education runs 59 separate programs at a total annual cost of more than $13 billion. The Department of Labor has 34 programs carrying a yearly price tag of $7 billion. Even the Interior Department has gotten into the act, running two separate job-training programs with an annual cost of more than $22 million. According to the General Accounting Office, the Federal Government spends nearly $25 billion each year on 154 separate job training and education programs. That's a lot of money, and a lot of programs--even by Washington standards. The school-to-work bill continues this spending pattern by authorizing hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funds over the next 5 years.”