|
 The proposal, dubbed the Community College Partnership Tax Credit,
would require businesses to donate funds for equipment, instruction,
or internships related to programs in areas such as healthcare,
energy and information technology.
Employers that hire students from such programs would get a
one-time, $5,000 tax credit per individual brought aboard.
The program, to be proposed formally in the president's fiscal 2017
budget on Tuesday, is meant to shore up community colleges'
educational offerings, while helping businesses find high-skilled
workers in certain fields.
“Employers can define those skills and help colleges develop the
curriculum that teaches them,” said James Kvaal, White House deputy
director of domestic policy. He estimated the initiative would
produce 500,000 highly skilled graduates over five years.
 Obama's budget requires congressional approval, which is unlikely.
Administration officials expressed confidence, however, that the
proposal would garner bipartisan support and the idea could gain
traction.
"The idea of ... bringing together community colleges and the local
employer base is a very powerful one and really doesn’t break along
party lines," said Ted Mitchell, under secretary at the U.S.
Department of Education.
Obama's final budget is likely to garner less attention than in
previous years. Washington's focus is moving to the 2016
presidential campaign and the Republican-controlled Congress does
not want to hand legislative victories to the White House.
[to top of second column] |
Administration officials are aware similar proposals by the
president have had limited success. Though his proposals to raise
the minimum wage and make community college tuition free have not
been enacted nationally, they say his championing of such ideas has
spurred action on the state and local level.
Under his latest proposal, states would get part of the tax credit
money and be responsible for selecting businesses and community
colleges based on a competition for applications.
Employers could be involved in designing curriculums on advanced
manufacturing, for example, or donating instruction time and
equipment. Community colleges would get needed capital investment
and businesses would recoup their investments through the tax
credits gleaned from hiring graduates.
(This version of the story was refiled to correct spelling of
surname in paragraph 5)
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Andrew Hay)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
