Vice President Joe Biden announced Monday that the United States will give $450 million in grants to community colleges that are working with employers on job training.
The U.S. will award the grants to hundreds of community colleges across the nation, with the largest grants — roughly $20 million each — going to Massasoit Community College in Massachusetts and Chippewa Valley Technical College in Wisconsin. The Associated Press reports that the jobs initiative underscores the Obama administration's plans to improve wages and lower unemployment rates by "linking training to industry demand," with the hopes of growing the American economy.
A significant portion of the grants will be given to training in the cybersecurity and IT-related fields, which the White House noted are in need of employees. One program in Maryland, for example, will include partnerships with Raytheon and IBM to train workers for jobs in information technology or cybersecurity. Other fields the White House said are in need of employees include healthcare, energy, and advanced manufacturing.