Job Corps Alpha Awards

July 23, 2003

Thank you.

It is a great pleasure for me to be here with you tonight to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the young men and women who are part of the Job Corps program, and to honor the tremendous contributions made by teachers, administrators, corporate sponsors and community leaders to the program's success.

President Bush recognizes the hard work you have done and sacrifices you have made. He's a strong supporter of the Job Corps program, and has witnessed the benefits it brings not just to the individuals who participate in it, but also to their communities and the country as a whole. The Job Corps program is a public-private partnership that works, and we are committed to supporting it and extending its reach.

We will hear a great deal tonight about what Job Corps has meant to the program's graduates. It has provided education and training, opened doors, and forged lifelong relationships. More than 2 million kids have participated in the program over the past 40 years. For most of them, the Job Corps has offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to leave behind a life of dependence and poverty and create a new and better life based on independence, productivity, and fulfilling work.

But I'd like to spend a few moments talking about what the Job Corps graduates give to all of us. The fact is that our nation needs the energy, the ideas, and the enterprise of these young men and women. America's future strength and security depends on them being full participants in the economic and social life of the nation. As the baby boom generation nears retirement, millions of jobs in key fields such as nursing, teaching, construction and manufacturing will need to be filled by a new generation of workers who have the education, training, and skills to fill the gap. For our economy to reach its potential, and for American industries to compete in the global marketplace, we're going to need "all hands on deck." We can't afford to let anyone slip through the cracks, or to leave anyone behind.

That's why it is so important that the Job Corps program continue its important work. Today's Job Corps graduates have the skills and the training they need to be full participants in the economic life of the nation. They have been taught by wonderful teachers and administrators who contribute their talent and skill, and they have the enthusiastic support of the President, his Administration, and of community leaders and corporate sponsors who give generously of their time and treasure.

But the most important asset today's graduates have is the strength of character they find within themselves. Henry David Thoreau once advised a young student: "What people say you cannot do…try…and find that you can." These young people have tried when others said they would fail. They overcame the odds and surmounted the barriers before them, and found that they CAN achieve their goals. They are an inspiration to all of us, and I look forward to watching them soar even higher in the years ahead. Thank you very much.