Obama says lost auto jobs gone, new jobs require greater training

Obama says new jobs will require greater training

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says lost auto industry jobs in states such as Michigan will not come back and new jobs will require greater training and post-high school education to achieve a higher skilled work force.

Obama was scheduled to deliver a speech at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich., Tuesday calling for an infusion of money to community colleges. The administration hopes to assist 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates over the next 10 years.

In excerpts released by the White House before the speech, Obama said jobs requiring at least an associate degree are expected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college.

Obama is proposing a $12 billion effort to help the two-year institutions teach and train more people for “jobs of the future.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama conceded Tuesday that the unemployment rate will keep growing for “several months” as he prepared to head to battered Michigan to unveil a plan to help train people for the next generation of jobs.

Obama is proposing a multibillion-dollar investment in the nation’s community colleges, a $12 billion effort to help the two-year institutions reach, teach and train more people for “the jobs of the future.” He was to outline his program in a speech Tuesday afternoon at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich.

Before leaving town, Obama was pressed on how high the unemployment rate might climb. In Michigan, the jobless rate is 14.1 percent, worst in the nation.

“How employment numbers are going to respond is not yet clear,” Obama said after a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.

“My expectation is, is that we will probably continue to see unemployment tick up for several months,” Obama said. “And the challenge for this administration is to make sure that even as we are stabilizing the financial system … are people able to find good jobs that pay good wages?”

More than 2 million jobs have been lost since Congress passed Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus package. Without that government intervention, Obama said, states like Michigan would be in even worse shape because they would have had to lay off more teachers, firefighters and other workers.

Obama said renewed hiring tends to lag behind other signs of economic recovery. The White House has been criticized for being overly rosy in its projections of the economic rebound, particularly in terms of employment.

Obama defended his multi-pronged agenda of investing in health care, energy, science innovation and infrastructure as keys to lasting economic growth.

Under Obama’s college initiative, schools could qualify for “challenge grants” so they’ll have money to try new programs, or expand training and counseling. Dropout rates would be addressed by designing programs to help students who want to earn an associate’s degree or transfer to a four-year institution do so.

Money would be spent to renovate outdated facilities or build new ones, and to develop online courses and make them freely available to students and others who want to use them.

The total federal cost is $12 billion over a decade. Of that, $9 billion would go toward challenge grants and addressing dropout rates. Half a billion, or $500 million, would go toward online education. The remaining $2.5 billion would be used to spark $10 billion in renovation and construction nationwide, said James Kvaal, an Obama economic policy adviser.

The plan would be paid for as part of a package that cuts waste from the student loan program, administration officials said. Some of the money could be available by the 2010 budget year that begins Oct. 1.

Obama speaks of expanded education and job training as a way to help workers compete for jobs such as those expected in the clean energy industry, when the economy turns around and begins to create jobs again instead of shedding them.

“In an economy where jobs requiring at least an associate’s degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience, it’s never been more essential to continue education and training after high school,” Obama said Sunday in a Washington Post op-ed piece.

Community colleges have been feeling pinched lately. Enrollments have been increasing for several reasons, including rising college costs at public and private institutions, and because of the economy, as people who’ve lost jobs enroll to learn new skills.

About 6 million students currently attend community college, administration officials said. Obama is setting a new goal of 5 million additional college graduates by 2020, Kvaal said.

In his speech to a joint session of Congress earlier this year, the president urged every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.

Obama’s stop in Michigan will be his first visit to the state since he defeated Republican Sen. John McCain there in the presidential election.

The trip wasn’t all about policy, however.

Before returning to the White House, Obama, an athlete who is more into basketball and, lately, golf, was dropping into Busch Stadium in St. Louis to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Major League Baseball’s annual All-Star game.

It will be his first pitch as president. Obama skipped traditional opening day invites.

Associated Press writer Ben Feller contributed to this story.