Obama urges investment in high-tech education

The president says training Americans for jobs of the future will help create a more stable foundation for the economy.

EMAIL  |   PRINT  |   SHARE  |   RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
By Ben Rooney, CNNMoney.com staff writer

obama_090921a.03.jpg
President Obama speaks in Troy, N.Y., about his high-tech education investment plan.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- President Obama on Monday pushed his plans to make the nation's economy more stable in the future by investing in education for high-tech industries.

The president unveiled a new "innovation strategy" that builds on $100 billion of economic stimulus funds to support entrepreneurship, education, infrastructure and other investments.

The plan aims to make the U.S. economy more competitive and help prevent volatile "boom and bust" cycles in the future, Obama said.

"As we emerge from this economic crisis, our great challenge will be to ensure that we do not simply drift into the future, accepting less for our children and less for America," Obama told students at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y. "Instead, we must choose to do what past generations have done: shape a brighter future through hard work and innovation."

Obama said improving the nation's education system is a key component of the strategy. "We know that the nation that out-educates us today will out-compete us tomorrow," he said.

To that end, Obama touted his administration's efforts to make college more affordable by increasing government grants, simplifying student aid applications and updating the GI Bill.

He praised a bill making its way through Congress that would boost federal student aid further and effectively end the government's practice of subsidizing private lenders of student loans.

Obama also reiterated his call for increased investment in green energy technology, electronic health records, manufacturing advanced vehicles and expanding the nation's broadband Internet network.

The president also pointed to proposed tax cuts and trade policies his administration has persued as ways to make U.S. companies more competitive and prosperous.

"Our strategy begins where innovation so often does: in the classroom and in the laboratory -- and in the networks that connect them to the broader economy," Obama said. "These are the building blocks of innovation: education, infrastructure, and research."  To top of page

Features
They're hiring!These Fortune 100 employers have at least 350 openings each. What are they looking for in a new hire? More
If the Fortune 500 were a country...It would be the world's second-biggest economy. See how big companies' sales stack up against GDP over the past decade. More
Sponsored By:
More Galleries
10 of the most luxurious airline amenity kits When it comes to in-flight pampering, the amenity kits offered by these 10 airlines are the ultimate in luxury More
7 startups that want to improve your mental health From a text therapy platform to apps that push you reminders to breathe, these self-care startups offer help on a daily basis or in times of need. More
5 radical technologies that will change how you get to work From Uber's flying cars to the Hyperloop, these are some of the neatest transportation concepts in the works today. More
Sponsors
Worry about the hackers you don't know 
Crime syndicates and government organizations pose a much greater cyber threat than renegade hacker groups like Anonymous. Play
GE CEO: Bringing jobs back to the U.S. 
Jeff Immelt says the U.S. is a cost competitive market for advanced manufacturing and that GE is bringing jobs back from Mexico. Play
Hamster wheel and wedgie-powered transit 
Red Bull Creation challenges hackers and engineers to invent new modes of transportation. Play

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.