Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at Visit to Guilford Technical Community College

Greensboro, North Carolina

Thank you, Governor Cooper. During the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand how your leadership is pushing this state forward – from strengthening our workforce to investing in women’s health and helping us end cancer as we know it.  Roy, you are an incredible governor and Joe could not ask for a better partner in North Carolina.

Dr. Clarke and Dr. Oakley, thank you for the warm welcome to Greensboro and GTCC today.  

I am glad to highlight your Early/Middle College so more students might enroll!

It’s a question every high school student knows all too well. On birthdays, in school hallways, at the dinner table – it can seem like the only thing anyone wants to talk about.

“Well, what do you plan to do next?”

For many students, the answer to what they want to do next isn’t only “I don’t know” – it’s “I don’t know where to start.”

Nearly 60 percent of graduating high school students don’t go directly to a four-year college.

Six out of 10 students.

As a community college professor, I teach students who are part of that 60 percent.

And I see every day how they are still struggling to figure out their next steps, still searching for an answer to that persistent question. Because for most people, a high school diploma alone isn’t enough to find a great career. But that doesn’t mean there’s only one path to success.

President Biden is helping young people and their families find answers.

Last month, he announced Classroom to Career, an ambitious new proposal, partnering with states, giving every student in America the opportunity to take community college courses in high school through dual enrollment.

Classroom to Career reimagines high school education, giving young people a pathway to their careers by exposing them to job training earlier. Or, a head-start on a two- or four-year degree, making college more affordable.

Career-connected learning—programs that bridge the gap between what students learn and the careers they will eventually find—is not a new idea.

Dual enrollment is not a new idea. Many states offer it in some form.

What is new is that President Biden’s entire Administration is committed to making it a reality for all students through unprecedented collaboration and historic investments.

He sees that this pipeline of support from high school to college to career is the future of our workforce. And that’s why we’re here today.

North Carolina has been a leader in providing those opportunities, and is exemplary in transforming high school into a place that prepares students for jobs.

In just a moment, we will have the opportunity to hear from students and administrators about how these programs are doing just that.

And it’s not just happening in Greensboro, or Asheboro, or Dobson. It’s all across the state.

I just visited Pitt Community College. I met incredible high school students in their college classrooms:  One was getting his associate degree – training to repair cars, and another showed us how she’s learning to detect impurities in medications in her biotechnology class.

These are the skills that are needed for their future careers.  And, they’re getting them in high school!

This isn’t a Democrat or Republican idea. It’s an American idea, championed by leaders from all sides of the political spectrum.

Joe ran for president to help rebuild the middle class, and in the last three years he’s created more than 15 million jobs.

Industries like biotechnology, manufacturing, and clean energy are thriving in North Carolina, and businesses are looking for workers.

Classroom to Career is the link that will give high school students the skills they need to fill the jobs Joe created.

This is going to change lives, lift up families, and grow our economy.

It’s what we need to do today to open up all the possibilities of tomorrow – for our young people, our communities, and our country.

I can’t wait to hear more about your experiences.

Thank you for spending time with me today.

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