From Fox News, “Democrats Post Health Care Bill Online, Starting 72-Hour Clock“:

The updated health care reform bill has been posted online, starting the clock on a 72-hour window before the House can vote on it. 

Click here to see the proposed changes to the bill, as well as the original Senate package. 

President Obama pledged in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday that the final provisions of the health care plan would be “posted for many days before this thing passes” to give the public a chance to review it. 

The earliest the House could vote on the latest health bill is Sunday. 

You know, for a health care bill, there’s sure a lot of nationalization of the student loan program. From the substitute amendment:

TITLE II-EDUCATION AND HEALTH
Subtitle A-Education
Sec. 2001. Short title; references.
PART I-INVESTING IN STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
Sec. 2101. Federal Pell Grants.
Sec. 2102. Student financial assistance.
Sec. 2103. College access challenge grant program.
Sec. 2104. Investment in historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions.
PART II-STUDENT LOAN REFORM
Sec. 2201. Termination of Federal Family Education Loan appropriations.
Sec. 2202. Termination of Federal loan insurance program.
Sec. 2203. Termination of applicable interest rates.
Sec. 2204. Termination of Federal payments to reduce student interest costs.
Sec. 2205. Termination of FFEL PLUS Loans.
Sec. 2206. Federal Consolidation Loans.
Sec. 2207. Termination of Unsubsidized Stafford Loans for middle-income borrowers.
Sec. 2208. Termination of special allowances.
Sec. 2209. Origination of Direct Loans at institutions outside the United States.
Sec. 2210. Conforming amendments.
Sec. 2211. Terms and conditions of loans.
Sec. 2212. Contracts; mandatory funds.
Sec. 2213. Agreements with State-owned banks.
Sec. 2214. Income-based repayment. 

PBS “Newshour” last night featured an excerpt of a good debate on the educational and economic value of increasing the number of college students. (We had previously noted the discussion in this post citing George Leef’s column.) The show’s description:

Miller Center Debate: Does the U.S. Need More Grads?

March 17, 2010 3:00 PM 

Editor’s note: Paul [Solman] recently moderated a Miller Center debate on whether the United States must dramatically increase its number of college-educated citizens to remain a leading economic power. Former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and Michael Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund, argued that the United States needs more graduates to maintain its economic might, while George Leef, director of research at the John William Pope Center for Higher Education in North Carolina, and Richard Vedder, professor of economics at Ohio University, argued that many jobs being created today don’t require college degrees.

You can see an excerpt of the debate on Wednesday’s NewsHour, or watch the full debate below or at the Miller Center’s Web site.

In the excerpt, Secretary Spellings and especially Michael Lomax attempted to redefine the debate topic away from the economic value of increasing the number of graduates from four-year colleges to the social/cultural/esteem benefits of ensuring additional minority enrollment. On that point, one wonders how much real benefit there is from impelling more students into four-year college educations, which are already too often mediocre or irrelevant to one’s life in the working world.

And how about a cost-benefit analysis? Is increased federal subsidization of college enrollments really a good use of the taxpayers’ dollars?

From the University of Phoenix, “University of Phoenix Teams With The Manufacturing Institute to Educate Workforce to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century“:

PHOENIX, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Today, University of Phoenix announced an innovative partnership with The Manufacturing Institute (”Institute”), the non-profit, non-partisan education and research affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Through this educational alliance, University of Phoenix will develop curriculum relevant to today’s manufacturing workforce that aligns to the NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System (SCS). SCS describes the competencies, certifications and educational attainment levels appropriate to manufacturing careers…[snip]

University of Phoenix will offer programs that enable working learners to advance in their careers while acquiring the skills and competencies in the SCS, which were developed by the Institute and endorsed by NAM. These programs are being specifically developed with the working learner in mind, giving students greater access and flexibility to obtain advanced degrees in a convenient manner. With a greater emphasis on strategic planning and new technologies, the curriculum also ensures that the manufacturing sector stays current and competitive in a global market.

“This unique alliance will provide an education with real-world relevancy that meets the needs for high-tech manufacturing – graduates will gain the knowledge and skills most needed in the manufacturing industry, both today and tomorrow,” said Dr. Brian Lindquist, Dean, University of Phoenix School of Business.

Also, Phoenix Business Journal, “University of Phoenix, Manufacturing Institute launch program.”

George Leef, an education policy expert of the Pope Center in North Carolina, reports on a recent debate on the value of a four-year college degree, the question being: ” Does the United States need more college graduates to remain a world economic power?”

Former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and Dr. Michael Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund, argued in favor of the resolution. Ohio University economics professor Richard Vedder and Leef argued against it. Their first two points:

First, we showed that a college degree does not necessarily open up good opportunities for individuals because degrees are now so common that having one is no distinction. Furthermore, there are other ways besides going to college for young people to get on a career path—vocational training, for example.

Second, we argued that it would not benefit our economic productivity to devote resources to college for additional students. Since we already have a surplus of college graduates in the labor force, expanding higher education further would only divert resources from more beneficial uses.

The National Association of Manufacturers does not denigrate four year college degrees, but believes there are other approaches that, depending on the student, offer more rewarding education and career opportunities.

From a news release, “MSSC Certification - A Win-Win for Manufacturing Employers, Employees“:

COLUMBUS, Ind., March 5 /PRNewswire/ — Several leading Southeast Indiana advanced manufacturing and distribution/logistics companies endorse the nationally recognized workforce credentials from the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC - http://www.msscusa.org) for those workers that will be hired as the economy recovers.

These innovative companies recognize they will require a pipeline of highly skilled workers in order to compete globally. They identify the three MSSC nationally recognized certifications as key building blocks in the development of that skilled workforce. Those nationally portable certifications are: the Certified Production Technician (CPT), the Certified Logistics Associate (CLA), and the Certified Logistics Technician (CLT).

Cummins Inc., one of the area’s largest employers, is among the first companies to endorse this training and certification program.

“Cummins greatly values the knowledge and skills acquired by students using the MSSC curriculum,” said Mark Gerstle, Vice President of Corporate Quality and Chief Risk Officer at Cummins Inc. “When recruiting in southern Indiana to fill open production positions, we will actively seek candidates with MSSC CPT certification.”

Other companies embracing the approach are Grote Industries, Arvin Sango, Madison Precision Products and Royer Corp., all in Madison; Dicksons in Seymour; Lowe’s Distribution Center in North Vernon; Aisin USA in Seymour and Aisin Drivetrain in Crothersville. Ivy Tech Community College and several high schools will offer the MSSC training and certification assessment.

MSSC is recognized by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) as the foundational cornerstone of its comprehensive National Skills Certification System. Last year the NAM affiliate, the Manufacturing Institute, received a $1.5-million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to plan and implement postsecondary education programs that include the Manufacturing Skills Certification System.

So the work is paying off.

Amy Rosen, President & CEO of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, has a good summary at The Huffington Post of a promising new initiative to restructure high school education to better prepare students for higher eduction or entering the workforce, while also improving educational accountability. From “Educational Reform We Can Believe In“:

Education can be exciting. Very exciting.

Case in point — there is a new program being offered to students in 8 states — a new program that will help prepare them for college and beyond. Organized by the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), the initiative will allow 10th graders to take a series of board examinations to test their mastery of basic educational requirements. If they pass, the students will have the opportunity to graduate early and attend a community college. If they fail, parents and teachers will be made aware of the basic challenges that still need to be overcome.

Either way, it’s a win-win for the students and for the rest of us who care for them now, but will depend on them later.

The National Association of Manufacturers supports this initiative, as the approach can provide students with a more effective pathway into careers in manufacturing. NCEE announced the state programs on Feb. 17, “U.S. High Schools in Eight States to Implement World-Class Instructional Systems and Examinations“:

NCEE President Marc Tucker announced that Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont will work with NCEE through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve the performance of high school students in these eight states by adopting powerful instructional systems that actually set the international standards.

“By introducing these Board Examination Systems in pilot high schools in these states as early as the 2011-2012 school year, we will begin a process that will ultimately prepare dramatically more students for college success and greatly reduce the high number of students who now take remedial courses in college,” said Tucker.

NCEE has a long track record of analyzing and benchmarking the highest performing education systems around the world. Over the years, it has found that in countries where the majority of students perform at high levels, two factors stand out. One is that teachers are recruited from the top-third of college students, and the other is that Board Examination Systems are used to drive learning to high levels.

There’s more available information at the website of The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce.  News coverage…

• Westport Now, “Connecticut Part of Project to Reinvent High School“
• New York Times, “High Schools to Offer Plan to Graduate 2 Years Early“
• Providence Journal, “Program to prepare students for college while in high school“

The Financial Times reports on industry’s concerns about finding enough capable, trained employees to keep operating. From “Ageing workforce creates skills shortages for US manufacturers“:

When Jim McNerney, Boeing’s president, chairman and chief executive, gave a speech on innovation, over lunch at a downtown Chicago hotel recently, he barely referred to the well-publicised woes his company has experienced in recent years in bringing new aircraft to market.

Instead, Mr McNerney focused on a concern for the future.

“Technology-based companies face an impending skills shortage,” he warned.

“This is a global circumstance . . . no single nation can produce enough creativity, talent or knowledge to meet today’s marketplace challenges alone.

“But the problem is growing acute in the United States, where many seasoned and skilled workers are close to retiring and insufficient numbers of capable workers are being prepared to replace them,” Mr McNerney went on.

FT cites a study commissioned by Oracle, Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, “People & Profitability – A Time For Change,” which substantiated how important a high-quality workforce is to profitable companies.

It’s interesting that Boeing’s McNerney notes the global nature of the skills shortage, a phenomenon we’ve seen just through regular searches of Internet news sources for the term “skills and shortage.” For example:

• Toronto Sun, “Skills shortage to leave Ontarians jobless by 2021: report“
• New Zealand Herald, “Aussie skills shortage prompts new Kiwi exodus fears“
• Inside SAP, “Victoria University working to end skills shortage“: “An agreement between Victoria University and the Singapore Government is working to address the skills shortage in the APAC region.”
• Birmingham Post, England, “Getting youngsters on board for a skills boost.”

Ramesh Ponnuru, a National Review editor, tries to be provocative in a Time magazine piece, “The Case Against College Education.” Most readers may indeed be unfamiliar with the arguments that, for many students, the value of attending a four-year college is oversold.

But manufacturers and community colleges and workforce exports have long known this to be the case. And there are credible, excellent alternatives to a four-year baccalaureate (or starting at a college and then dropping out). As Ponnuru writes:

From Philadelphia Business Journal, “Phila. launching green jobs program“:

Using a $3.18 million federal stimulus grant awarded last month, Community College of Philadelphia will launch a green jobs training program, which will recruit participants from Port Richmond, Kensington and Upper/Lower North Philadelphia. In as little as seven weeks, CCP’s Job Ready Training Program will train individuals that are home to neighborhoods estimated to have at least 43,148 unemployed adults, 5,600 to 9,200 ex-offenders, approximately 62,000 high school dropouts and 82,000 disadvantage individuals. Many from the neighborhoods CCP reported lack the basic math and reading skills to succeed in today’s workplaces, an issue Urban Industry Initiative said over the summer has left hundreds of jobs unfilled in the city’s manufacturing industry…[snip]

The green manufacturing trainees who successfully complete the 300-hour program will receive an industry-recognized certificate from the college and the Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia, as well as a National Career Readiness Certificate endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers. Trainees who successfully get through the 280 hour construction/weatherization training track will be tested to receive Pennsylvania Labor and Industry certification as installers, CCP reported.

The Community College of Philadelphia announced the program at this news release, “College Unveils $3.18 Million Green Jobs Training Program for Low-Income Residents in Parts of North Philadelphia, Kensington and Port Richmond.”

The NAM is enthusiastic about the initiative because of its accountability, affirmed through the NAM-endorsed National Career Readiness Certification. Certified workers more effectively demonstrate their skills, making them more marketable and mobile. For more on that program, please visit www.manufacturingskills.org.

From the News-Herald of northeastern Ohio, “Bringing manufacturing skills to students,” reporting on the cooperative efforts by Lake County’s 650 manufacturers to develop a credentialed training program for students so they can develop technical skills needed in manufacturing, a “pipeline,” so to speak.

The Alliance for Working Together is leading the effort, and Lakeland Community College and the Auburn Career Center are providing most of the assists. The results of the meetings and strategic planning will be on display this fall when Lakeland officially begins offering its AWT Consortium Associate of Applied Science degree. The degree program will require at least 63 credits and be aligned with curriculum supported by the National Association of Manufacturers and its industry standards and skills certification system….[snip]

“This is a good thing, it’s going to help our manufacturing base,” said AWT founder Roger Sustar, who also owns Fredon Corp. in Mentor. “No matter if you do aerospace work like (Fredon) or you make roll-forming equipment like Roll-Kraft or you make kitchen equipment like Cres-Cor, it’s going to help.”

(Hat tip: The NACFAM Weekly)