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Ads for medical technician, medical transcriptionist, and dental assistant dominate daytime television.
"My mommy works with doctors," said one kid used in an advertisement for a medical assistant. Almost 43 percent of students who attend these for-profit trade schools are people of color.
While there's nothing wrong with pursuing a certificate in one of these programs to provide for your family, all too often I see young blacks and Latinos attain these certificates and then cease their education. In addition, many of these programs have come under scrutiny for dishonesty, fraud and criminal behavior.
For example,a recent investigation from the Government Accountability Office found many of these programs are advertising for training in jobs that are outdated or not hiring. They lie about the income prospects of their graduates. In addition, some of these schools are practicing student loan fraud. Students are taking out tens of thousands of dollars in loans for worthless degrees. Other schools aren't even accredited. Students are manipulated into applying for student loans and supporting documents have been falsified.
According to Politico in the last year, "trade schools took in $4 billion in federal Pell grants and $20 billion in taxpayer-funded student loans. Enrollment in for-profit programs has soared, jumping from 673,000 students nationwide in 2000 to 1.8 million in 2008."
That's a lot of taxpayer money potentially being wasted and the reason why President Obama's push to produce an additional 5 million community college graduates by 2020 is worth pursuing.
Of course, for-profit schools like the University of Phoenix, other trade schools, and testing services like Kaplan are fighting the push. They have mounted a powerful lobby against the reforms.
Community college is a great option for kids of all races who might not want to go or are not ready to go a four-year college. Veterans or older adults can also use community colleges to engage in a lifetime of learning and better themselves.
"They may not go to four-year colleges right away, but the community college system can be just a terrific gateway for folks to get skills," said Obama. "Some start at a community college and then go on to four-year colleges. Some just get technical training, get a job and then come back maybe five years later to upgrade their skills or adapt them to a new business."
"We want to make it easier to connect students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire. We want to help community colleges and employers create programs that match curricula in the classroom with the needs of the boardrooms."
Obama is putting taxpayer money behind the effort.
The health care legislation signed into law earlier this year included $2 billion to fund the Community College and Career Training initiative to try to improve graduation rates. The 2009 stimulus bill also had $3.5 billion in Pell grants aimed at helping low-income students at hundreds of community colleges, according to White House officials, as well as $1 billion in workforce training programs at community colleges.
Community colleges often end up with the responsibility of educating kids who graduate high school unprepared for higher learning. That difficulty of just catching up often causes many students to drop out. Many of these kids may also have to work while going to school. Some money should be used to provide assistance to young people who need help in their quest for higher education.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is rightly questioning the argument of for-profit schools that the issue is about minority access to training.
"It is wrong to pretend that for-profit colleges with student rates of high debt but low success are offering real college access to underserved student populations," he told Politico. Some "poor performing" schools, Harkin said, are "no different than subprime mortgage lenders pretending to help working families find a place to live."
Instead of just working with a doctor, maybe the person targeted by that trade school commercial can choose to become a doctor.
Comments: (8)
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By: rasfanta on 10/06/2010 6:48PM
This is BS. There are no jobs. For instance, money that is suppose to go to pay the salaries of direct health care providers is not going to these workers. That money is going to non-direct patient care. Like for IT, EMRs and other administrative ventures. Newly graduated 4 year degree RNs can barely get work.
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By: slik on 10/06/2010 6:52PM
$2 billion, $3.5 billion and $1 billion.
Ok this is fine, but you can't find the money to pay Black Farmers the money they are legally owed!
If this wasnt true, Id be laughing at negroes, who still give ths cat a 91% percent approval rating. Who gets slapped in the face time and time again, and does nothing but black people.
Who supports a president who tells you to ur face "we will not target you for aid", yet he targets others. Who stands for that but black folk.
Who gives over a 90% aprroval rating to a president who tells black elected officials "no aid is forthcoming to your districts" yet turn around and makes all kinds of deals in Nebraska, Louisana and Neveda, who does that but black people.
Who but black people would support policies that have driven up unemployment, that is in every black democraphic unemployment "CONTINUES TO RAISE". Not taper off, or slow down, it has raisen consistitly. And thats after the stimulus passed.
Black farmers won a legal court proceding and were in line and have been waiting for a long time, yet thanks to Rahm Emanuel white farmers thru Blache Lincoln were allowed to jump the line and received 1.5 billion in aid. What about the black farmers you ask?
"At the same time", the administration told black farmers it lacks the funds to pay a $1.2 billion agreement they reached with the Department of Agriculture.
So to community colleges i say good for you, to Negroes and black farmers, I say , you got your black president and thats all u got.
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By: bestausweh on 10/06/2010 9:57PM
"Newly graduated 4 year degree RNs can barely get work."
Guess what folks. You get what you pay for. The 4 year degreed RN can do more for you as a patient than a 2 year degreed some kind of health or nurse assistant or nurse practitioner (no medical training at all). They committed themselves to the 4 year program thinking more money, less work hours, and especially less responsibility or liability thus less accountability in a field where time is required to develop experience and skills meaning the difference between life and death. Hospital administrators make up to and over a half million dollars with business administrator who are paid to oversee healthcare taking home just a little less. Doctors are fired and replaced with the cheaper 2 year graduates, "technicians" or people trying to play doctor with their cheap "associate" degrees.
Has anyone noticed a decrease in their health insurance premiums over the past 2 decades the congressmen both Republican and Democrats kept this practice in existence?
Corporations are still taking all the money no matter what President is elected. Corporations will rule this already sold out country no matter who is in the President's seat or even when no one can decide if the President is either Black or if he is white.
Corporations Rule !!!
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By: jewishways on 10/06/2010 10:59PM
Community college? Is he serious? What exactly are they training for when companies are slashing workers to keep their bottom lines tight? I'm sorry, there is a way this is going back into their pockets that has nothing to do with building the workforce. Sorry to burst your bubble Black America, but he is a puppet for Wall Street. Can you see...the arrogance? Now, I understand the story his sister told about calling him "Mr. President" when he was a young boy. When he's done the middle class will be no more.
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By: plush on 10/06/2010 11:26PM
useless comments, start talking the answer instead of the problem.
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By: Linda J on 10/07/2010 11:06AM
You know the old saying, "To get a good job, you need to get a good EDUCATION". That saying was true then and it still true now. You will always be learning new skills, if you don't know how to read or understand the language what good is the new skills. Words and the usage of language is for ever changing. Community college is a good choice as well as these fly by night tech schools. Hand in Hsnd.
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By: free online games, on 10/20/2010 5:26AM
free online games
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By: free online games, on 10/20/2010 5:29AM
http://www.gazzyboy.com
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