Jobs to Be Proud of, Rebuilding a Country to be Proud Of
By Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh
In his State of the Union address President Biden told the American people how we are going to build on his record of historic job growth and the lowest unemployment rate in history. A big part of that plan is delivering the agenda he has already signed into law to rebuild our infrastructure, supply chains, and manufacturing here at home.
This agenda has already brought in more than $350 billion in private investment for industries like clean energy and microchip manufacturing. Moving forward, it will position America for strong long-term economic growth that finally benefits all Americans. The President’s economic plan is going to keep strengthening communities and creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, including union jobs, that Americans can raise a family on.
As we look forward, a big part of our job in the President’s Cabinet will be making sure that Americans who want these jobs can get them, by rewarding American talent and breaking down longstanding barriers that have left many working people and communities on the sidelines. That includes women and people of color, as well as towns and cities that helped build American manufacturing in the first place only to watch it move overseas.
Most of these jobs won’t require a four-year college degree, so that everybody who does a hard day’s work can make a good living. All over the country, Americans are already getting good jobs helping their communities build out high-speed internet, get access to good clean drinking water, and build new factories to make even more in America. Too many Americans were left behind and forgotten through drastic economic changes over the last four decades. To grow our economy, we need to make it as easy as possible for every American, especially those underrepresented in growing industries, to train and get these jobs in their communities.
We’re already off to a strong start. Many of the companies investing billions of dollars in new factories are also investing in a diverse, skilled, local workforce. We are working with them, to ensure that these are high quality jobs that pay well and provide stability and security for working Americans and their families. That’s true for new microchip and clean energy factories in Idaho, upstate New York, Ohio, Arizona, and Georgia just to name a few.
But we need to go even bigger. That’s why we are urging governors, mayors, unions, community colleges, high schools, community-based organizations and others, in every community in the country, to partner with employers and be part of the effort to build clear pathways to these opportunities for all Americans.
These will be jobs doing amazing things all across the country: rebuilding the roads or bridges we all use every day, strengthening our supply chains for the items our families and neighbors depend on, and manufacturing in industries like computer chips and clean energy that will help America lead the world.
This is about creating jobs people can be proud of, building a country we can be proud of.
For some of these jobs, people are already qualified and just need to know about the opportunity. For others we are working with companies and partners to provide easily accessible training for thousands of new, reliable, good-paying careers. We’re lining up employers and unions for Registered Apprenticeships proven training programs where you get a paycheck as you learn a new skill, and the opportunity to join a union so you can even better support your family and stay in your community. We will ensure that students and workers at all stages of life have equitable access to education and training for these good jobs in your communities. The opportunity to get trained for a good job should not end in your 20’s.
If these jobs sound like they’re a good fit for you, they probably are, and we’re going to work this year to remove barriers and make sure you know about the opportunities for good-paying jobs near you. The days of empty political promises about rebuilding our infrastructure, bringing back manufacturing, and creating good jobs in communities that have often been left behind are over – President Biden has already signed the laws, the shovels are hitting the ground, and the factory floors are being laid down. We are making “Made in America” a reality again, and we’re partnering with hard-working Americans to do it.
