01/29/2012
NCDA Responds to the State of the Union Address
At Tuesday's state of the Union address, President Obama announced his support for an effort to train 2 million workers in skills that will help them get a job. The National Career Development Association (NCDA) applauds the President's proposal. Not only will this approach help the 13 million unemployed in the United States, but, in filling existing business needs for more skilled workers, it will also give a boost to our struggling economy.
Career development professionals have an important role to play in achieving these goals. According to NCDA's recent "National Survey on Working America," conducted by Harris polls, 86% of Americans who have worked with a career counselor found them to be incredibly useful in obtaining the kind of skilled, high-paying jobs the President is seeking to promote. Unfortunately, many Americans do not have access to these kinds of services, even as the globalization of the economy calls for workers to gain new skills in order to become and remain employed.
Members of the NCDA have long recognized the need for career programs and services that support the workforce in making decisions about employment, training, and fit within a job. In addition, NCDA believes that in order to ensure more stable job growth, the public and private sectors must work together to help workers understand what additional skills they need, as well as how to gain them. With more stability and a higher skilled workforce, America can continue to succeed in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
In the coming months, Congress and the Administration will debate legislation to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as well as to fund career services at the Departments of Education and Labor. We urge all parties to continue and increase support for job training and career development services as part of these efforts.
For more information or details about NCDA's Government Relations Committee, contact Thomas Stowell at govrelations@ncda.org.
