Barack Obama¡¯s $100 million (?68.6 million) in grants to help make community college free sends a ¡°key economic message¡± to young Americans that they will need some form of tertiary education to secure jobs, according to an expert.

During his 2015 State of the Union address, President Obama unveiled America¡¯s College Promise, a plan to make two years of community college free for ¡°responsible students¡± ¨C meaning those who attend classes and keep their grades above a minimum threshold.

On 25 April, vice-president Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, announced that the plan will be driven forward by a competition for $100 million worth of grants to employer-college partnerships ¨C funded by fees gathered by the federal Department of Labor from employers who recruit foreign workers with high skills.

Mr Biden said in a speech at the Community College of Philadelphia that such partnerships?¡°can help tens of thousands of students get the education and skills training they need to succeed in good-paying, middle-class jobs¡±.

ÖйúAƬ

So far, 27 new free community college programmes ¨C backed by $70 million in combined public and private funding ¨C have been launched after President Obama¡¯s commitment.

The president¡¯s initiative may increase international interest in the US¡¯s community college model, which expands ÖйúAƬ access to disadvantaged groups who can either leave with their qualification or turn it into a full bachelor¡¯s degree by transferring their credits (which amount to half a degree) to study at a university.

ÖйúAƬ

In a briefing document, the White House said that?there are 7 million undergraduates in community colleges, ¡°including many older, low- or moderate-income, minority, first-generation, and rural Americans¡± who as a result have ¡°an opportunity to earn a quality, affordable degree or credential that meet the demands of a competitive global economy¡±.

The new ¡°America¡¯s Promise Grants¡± will ¡°create and expand innovative regional and sector partnerships between community colleges and other training providers, employers and the public workforce system to create more dynamic, tuition-free education and training programmes for in-demand middle and high-skilled jobs across the country¡±, the White House said. These programmes will be tuition-free.

Laura Perna, executive director of the Alliance for ÖйúAƬ and Democracy and professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, said: ¡°The signalling effect of the White House programme is very important. It underscores a key economic message to young people; that the jobs being created in the US economy now largely require some college education. Not necessarily a degree from a four-year institution. But definitely more than a high school diploma.¡±

Asked if the community college programme could lead to a decrease in the number of students heading to for-profit colleges ¨C which have focused on students from non-traditional backgrounds ¨C Professor Perna said: ¡°In terms of competition it¡¯s not really profit versus non-profit. The effect is more likely to be to shift enrolments from one open access sector ¨C the less selective four-year colleges ¨C to another open access institution ¨C the community colleges.¡±

ÖйúAƬ

john.morgan@tesglobal.com