(From Washingtonpost.com) As the Obama administration tries to create jobs amid the recession,
some two dozen industry leaders, local elected officials and union
representatives advocated Thursday for improved workforce training as
the key to economic prosperity.
In a breakout session on "Strengthening Workers and Main Street,"
participants shared ideas for growing training programs to prepare a
new generation of workers for the 21st-century economy. They stressed
the importance of helping people learn new job skills while still
earning an income.
"What we're talking about is meeting people where they live and the
realities of their lives," said Melody Barnes, director of the White
House Domestic Policy Council.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis
said it is essential to prepare workers for highly-skilled jobs in
fields that are likely to grow as the country emerges from the
recession. "A lack of trained workers can hold back employers from
