Obama Asks for Job Skills Training in State of the Union Address; CleanEdison Has It

Online, January 30, 2014 (Newswire.com) - After an anecdotal introduction to his 2014 State of the Union speech, President Obama dug right into the very topic CleanEdison was anticipating: providing Americans with the skills to fill the jobs that need them. He spoke of "a manufacturing sector that's adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s," and later added, "in this rapidly changing economy, we have to make sure that every American has the skills to fill those jobs." His entreaty to fill the skills gap is a promising addition to other, less popular proposals to remedy the job market.

While extending unemployment and raising wages are high-polarity issues, preparing Americans for work in currently available jobs is an approach so practical that nobody can disagree with it. The question that remains to be answered is to what extent this training will be funded at the government level and supported with public infrastructure.

CleanEdison offers the skills training and vocational education necessary to fix the skills gap problem, and works with public and private entities to make sure this training is available whether paid for out-of-pocket, by businesses looking to up-skill their incumbent workers, or by state, federal or private grants. Its welding, engineering, technician and Lean Six Sigma certification courses, among others, offer a direct path to the millions of manufacturing jobs that Obama referenced. In addition to the two high-tech manufacturing hubs his administration has launched in Raleigh and Youngstown, he announced the launch of six more.

The President went on to embolden the idea of America's energy independence, saying, "one of the biggest factors in bringing more jobs back is our commitment to American energy." With billions of dollars poised for investment in natural gas, and other alternative energy technologies advancing and popularizing, manufacturing isn't the only middle-skill job sector that's booming. The clean tech industry represents an opportunity for specially trained workers, and to satisfy the plea for more trades that can bear the stamp, "made in America."

Obama shared an interesting statistic: "Every four minutes, another American home or business goes solar; every panel pounded into place by a worker whose job can't be outsourced." CleanEdison's got that training covered too. From LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and BPI (Building Performance Institute) certification to electric vehicle and solar installation training, CleanEdison's course offerings have long been aligned with the momentum of clean technology.

Politics aside, the opportunity found in the manufacturing and clean tech industries represents a real avenue of success for America's workers. So long as this opportunity remains, CleanEdison will be here, providing sustainable education for the workforce of today.