[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[January 17, 1992]
[Pages 119-120]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Announcing the Job Training 2000 Initiative in Atlanta

January 17, 1992
    Let me say it's been a joy to be back in Atlanta. I was privileged 
to be over at the Martin Luther King Center, pay fitting and appropriate 
tribute to that great leader, and now have an opportunity to be here.
    I want to single out again, to those who weren't over there, 
Secretary Sullivan. Dr. Sullivan is the Secretary of HHS, the largest 
Department in the Federal Government, and doing a superb job. And for 
you kids, he's from Morehouse Medical right here and went to Morehouse. 
So, we've got an Atlanta man running this enormous part of the Federal 
Government and doing a superb job at it.
    I was so pleased to have been greeted by the Mayor, who I don't 
think's here right now, and the Governor, both of whom gave me a warm 
welcome, one to Georgia and one to Atlanta. I want to salute the Private 
Industry Council of Atlanta members who have taken the time to be with 
us. Pleased to be joined by Alvin Darden, members of this effective 
CATALYST team, now on their coffee break. [Laughter]
    I've come here to Morris Brown College in the center, the Atlanta 
University center, to see this wonderful work in progress and to 
announce a pioneering new approach to job training, a program that I 
call Job Training 2000. Programs like the CATALYST project highlight 
just how critical job training is to the American economy, to American 
competitiveness, and yes, to the American dream.
    As a Nation, America's ability to prosper in the century coming up 
rests on our collective capacity to learn new skills and test the limits 
of our potential. On an individual level, what we learn defines who we 
are. No one, young, old, or in between, can hope to reach their dreams 
without sharpening their skills and mastering the tools of thought. 
That's the idea behind our overall national education strategy, America 
2000. And it's the impulse behind the initiative that I'm announcing 
today, Job Training 2000.
    Job training must be more than merely make-work. It's got to suit 
the needs of the workplace and the marketplace. And the private sector 
will always bear primary responsibility for training the workers it 
needs to get the job done, the unions here taking a very active and 
critical role in all of this. But government at all levels can and must 
play a role, to use a word that's well-known, as catalysts in this 
process.
    And we are. Right now, the Federal Government's commitment to worker 
training spans more than 60 programs, 7 Federal Agencies, resources 
totaling some $18 billion a year. Well, we've got to make certain that 
these funds are spent to maximum effect, and that's where Job Training 
2000 comes in. It's the product of hard work of our Vice President and 
of Secretary of Labor Lynn Martin, of our Education Secretary, all these 
working together trying to express a commitment to this country's 
future.
    Job Training 2000 rests on four cornerstones: First, the creation of 
a 21st-century training system. Job Training 2000 creates a one-stop 
shopping center for job training, coordinated by private industry 
councils all across the country. It will move us away from the heavy 
hand of bureaucratic overkill to a system that allows greater freedom 
for the private sector and local govern-

[[Page 120]]

ments to shape programs that work. I've been asking that question, 
``Does this work?'' And each person I've asked said, ``This one works. 
It's effective.''
    Second, this program will help ease the transition from welfare to 
work, from dependence to independence. Under Job Training 2000, we'll 
dedicate more than $20 million to demonstration projects to place 
welfare recipients in permanent jobs. And then we'll enlist market 
forces to break the welfare dependency. A substantial portion of the 
money government saves as each new worker leaves welfare behind will be 
shared with the company that helped that person get a job.
    And thirdly, this program will ease the transition from school to 
work. Job Training 2000 will encourage voluntary apprentice programs for 
high school students, combining quality education, on-the-job training, 
and mentoring. This approach will help these apprentices keep their 
options open to pursue their education or, alternatively, to enter the 
work force as they wish.
    Fourth and finally, Job Training 2000 promotes lifelong learning. 
Job Training 2000 establishes lifetime training and education accounts, 
enabling the Federal Government to provide the average American tens of 
thousands of dollars' worth of education and training over the course of 
his lifetime. Job Training 2000 will create a kind of passport to 
continuing education, making it easier for people of all ages to receive 
grants and loans that they need to keep pace with the challenges of the 
21st-century workplace. This program is our plan to capture the spirit 
of programs like the ones that I've been privileged to see today and 
bring that innovative Atlanta approach, if you will, to every American 
community.
    Let me say to the young men and women that I've met today: Not long 
from now, these four walls will house the new Project CATALYST Center. 
But what you're building here is far more than a work of bricks and 
mortar or plaster or paint. This renovation is a symbol of the larger 
commitment of this community to generate opportunity for the people who 
call it home.
    So once again, my congratulations on the future that you're building 
here, on the opportunity you're giving the young people here. And my 
thanks to the CATALYST team for showing me around this site. And thanks 
to all of you, whether you're in city government, State government, 
marketplace, business, labor unions, whatever, for the fine work you are 
doing, the example you're setting.
    And now, back to work. [Laughter] Hammer time. Thank you all very 
much. Thank you all very, very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 11:52 a.m. at the 
                        Ventures in Community Improvement classroom on 
                        the campus of Morris Brown College. In his 
                        remarks, he referred to Alvin Darden, 
                        coordinator of Project CATALYST.