WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said creation of the “next Intel, the next Google, or the next Microsoft” in the U.S. will depend on improving the education system so workers have the best training.
In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama said that over the next 10 years almost half of all new jobs will demand a degree beyond high school, and employers will be seeking out students who excel in math and science.
“We’ve got to have the best trained, best skilled work force in the world,” he said in the address, which he recorded after visiting an Intel Corp. semiconductor manufacturing facility Friday in Hillsboro, Ore. “That’s how we’ll ensure that the next Intel, the next Google, or the next Microsoft is created in America, and hires American workers.”
Obama is promoting his budget priorities after the release of his $3.7 trillion spending blueprint on Feb. 14. While cutting spending in areas such as energy, transportation and housing, Obama proposes shifting some of the savings to fund programs supporting education and research. He faces afight with congressional Republicans who want deeper cuts devoted to reducing the deficit, which the administration forecasts will hit a record $1.6 trillion this year.
Obama has argued that spending on education will bolster U.S. economic competitiveness.
After emphasizing education and the role technology companies can play in growth, Obama will pivot to focus on small businesses. The president said he’ll meet with owners of small businesses Tuesday in Cleveland to talk about how the government can help their companies expand.
In the Republican address, Georgia Rep. Tom Price said the president’s fiscal 2012 budget “destroys jobs by spending too much, and borrowing too much, and taxing too much.”
Price, who is chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, said Obama’s plan continues “Washington’s spending binge,” which he said must end to “reduce uncertainty, to boost confidence, and to encourage private investment in our economy.” Information for this article was contributed by Roger Runningen and Laura Litvan of Bloomberg News.
Front Section, Pages 8 on 02/20/2011