[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[May 4, 1994]
[Pages 843-844]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 843]]


Statement on Signing the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994
May 4, 1994

    Today it is with pride that I sign into law H.R. 2884, the ``School-
to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994.'' The enactment of this legislation 
fulfills a promise I made to the American people. It is particularly 
appropriate that the enactment of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act 
of 1994 so closely follows the enactment of the ``Goals 2000: Educate 
America Act.'' These Acts are important milestones on our Nation's 
journey toward excellence and equity in our schools and workplaces. In 
particular, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 will provide a 
better education for our young people as they progress from school to a 
first job in a high-skill, high-wage career and to further education or 
training.
    We have failed for too long to give our young people the opportunity 
and tools to make the critical and challenging transition from school to 
a first job with a future. Too many students either drop out of school 
or complete school without the skills they need to succeed in a changing 
world. They lack a sense of the promise and potential that lies ahead of 
them. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 will help change 
that.
    In today's global economy, a nation's greatest resource--indeed, the 
ultimate source of its wealth--is its people. To compete and win, our 
work force must be well-educated, well-trained, and highly skilled. Let 
me repeat what I said earlier this year: ``We are living in a world 
where what you earn is a function of what you can learn . . . and where 
there can no longer be a division between what is practical and what is 
academic.''
    We all know that low-skilled jobs are becoming scarcer. Those jobs 
are being replaced by technology or drifting to countries whose workers 
are eager to labor for a small fraction of American wages. In short, the 
days of unskilled teenagers leaving high school and finding good-paying 
factory jobs for life are gone.
    The School-to-Work Opportunities Act can help young people adapt to 
this changing world, making it an important part of my work force 
strategy. This Act will ensure that during the last 2 years of high 
school, and typically for at least 1 year beyond, young people will 
benefit in several ways. They will be able to obtain quality on-the-job 
experience combined with classroom instruction, leading to certification 
in marketable skills. Such well-marked paths to productive roles in the 
working world will benefit both our young people and the Nation's many 
businesses anxious for skilled new employees.
    This Act is not another top-down mandate for one more Federal 
program. Under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, Federal funds will 
be available, for a limited period, as venture capital to stimulate 
State and local creativity in establishing statewide School-to-Work 
Opportunities systems. To promote systemic reform, State and local 
participants are given a substantial degree of flexibility to experiment 
and to build upon current promising approaches. All the States' systems 
will, however, have to share certain common features and basic program 
components that experience demonstrates are crucial to a quality school-
to-work system. Also, by forming local partnerships of individuals who 
have a stake in their children's future, communities will play an active 
role in giving American youth access to skills and employment 
opportunities.
    Under this Act, States and communities can build bridges from school 
to work through programs that provide students with a wide array of 
learning experiences in the classroom and at work. All School-to-Work 
Opportunities programs will contain three core components. First, the 
school-based learning component will include a coherent multi-year 
program of study tied to high academic and occupational skill standards, 
such as those to be developed as a result of the recently enacted Goals 
2000: Educate America Act. Second, the work-based learning component 
will provide students with a planned program of job training and work 
experiences, including workplace mentoring, in a broad range of 
occupational areas. Third, the connecting activities component will 
ensure coordination of the work-based and school-based learning 
components, as well as encourage the active participation of employers. 
By completing a School-to-Work Opportunities program, a student will 
earn a high school diploma or its equivalent, a diploma or certificate 
from a post-


[[Page 844]]

secondary institution (if appropriate), and an industry-recognized skill 
certificate for competency in an occupational area.
    This Act fosters the creation of ``partnerships'' in local 
communities that will develop and tailor the local School-to-Work 
Opportunities programs to the needs and resources of those communities. 
The partnerships will consist of representatives of many important local 
interests, such as employers, educators, labor organizations, students, 
parents, and local government agencies. These partnerships will, 
starting immediately, foster the design and implementation of a School-
to-Work Opportunities system in every State. The partnerships can 
develop the local program based on promising practices already underway. 
Together, States and communities will take the lead in determining goals 
and priorities, developing new strategies, and in measuring progress.
    H.R. 2884 was developed by the Administration working closely with 
the Congress in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation. This spirit of 
cooperation will continue on many different levels in the day-to-day 
operation of the School-to-Work programs. First, the Act will be jointly 
administered by the Secretaries of Labor and Education. Second, States 
and communities can work together in developing the various programs 
that will become part of this system. Third, the formation of the 
partnership at the local level will allow communities to examine their 
needs and to address them in a cooperative manner.
    Today, with my approval of H.R. 2884, we start on the path to a 
better future for our Nation's young people.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,

May 4, 1994.

Note: H.R. 2884, approved May 4, was assigned Public Law No. 103-239.