For Immediate Release
February 12,
2013
Contacts: Kevin Lawlor, 301-686-8025
Private Sector Colleges and Universities; Answering the
President’s Call to Rebuild the Middle Class through Education and Skills
Training
Washington, DC: In his State of the Union Speech, President Obama spoke
about his commitment to strengthening the middle class by making America a
magnet for jobs and manufacturing and by equipping every American with the
skills they need to do those jobs.
“Today there are 12 million unemployed
and 2.5 million under-employed men and women in America. We are told by
workforce experts that 85% of new jobs and 65% of all jobs will require
postsecondary education. Private sector colleges and universities (PSCUs), by
combining postsecondary education with career skills, stand ready to work with
the Obama Administration and the Congress to provide students the tools and
skills they need to compete,” said Association of Private Sector Colleges and
Universities (APSCU) President and CEO, Steve Gunderson.
During the length of the recent
recession, between 2008 and 2012, PSCUs conferred 1.5 million degrees and 1.85
million certificates, helping to fill the nearly 3 million jobs left vacant due
to lack of skills. This “skills gap,” has been keeping middle class
Americans from finding work, and preventing business owners from hiring the
workers they need here in the US.
“Private sector colleges and universities have made closing this
gap our mission,” said Gunderson. “Our schools are the leading innovators
in skills-based, career-focused training in high-demand industries. This
is why employers rely so heavily on our graduates.”
Today, 92% of our students meet one or
more standards as non-traditional students. 64% of PSCU students are Pell Grant
recipients, 67% are 25 years of age or older, 31% are single parents, and 76%
are independent of their parents. “Our students are the men and women
that President Obama is counting on to make the middle class stronger, we need
to work with one another to not only help these students, but open doors for
all Americans looking for access and opportunity.”
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