The Vice President’s wife made a stop in Lexington Thursday to champion the Obama administration’s effort to train two million workers through our country’s community colleges. Jill Biden is a community college English professor in Virginia. The appearance by her and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis was their fourth stop on a seven city, three day “Community College to Career” bus tour.
"Community colleges give hope to people,” Biden told ABC 36 News after the staged event at Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s campus off Leestown Road.
The two dignitaries listened to the success stories of five community college students and graduates. Nearly 109,000 people attend the state’s 16 community colleges which have 48 campuses scattered across Kentucky.
President Obama has put eight billion dollars in his budget to train two million community college students for mid to high level jobs in growth industries. The proposal now goes to Congress.
"We can't take our foot off the pedal,” Solis told ABC 36 News before departing Lexington. “We still have to continue to put more emphasis on education and training so we can beat out India, China and our competitors."
Biden told the audience community colleges can change America. "We're not getting to the future we want in America without them."
