US must win global competition in education: Obama

Over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education beyond high school, Obama said.

This is why, he said, his administration has made education a top priority, enacting reforms like 'Race to the Top,' working to make colleges more affordable, revitalising community colleges and launching a nationwide initiative to connect graduates to the businesses that need their skills.

A day earlier, Obama visited Intel, a company that helped pioneer the digital age.
"I just came from a tour of an assembly line where highly-skilled technicians are building microprocessors that run everything from desktop computers to smart phones," he said.
"Companies like Intel are proving that we can compete – that instead of just being a nation that buys what's made overseas, we can make things in America and sell them around the globe," Obama said in his weekly radio address to the nation.

Winning this competition depends on the ingenuity and creativity of the US private sector, but "it is also going to depend on what we do as a nation to make America the best place on earth to do business," he said.

Obama rued that the US today has fallen behind in math, science and graduation rates. As a result, companies like Intel struggle to hire American workers with the skills that fit their needs.

"If we want to win the global competition for new jobs and industries, we've got to win the global competition to educate our people. We've got to have the best trained, best skilled workforce in the world. That's how we'll ensure that the next Intel, the next Google, or the next Microsoft is created in America and hires American workers," Obama said.

"We are poised to lead in this new century – and not just because of the good work that large companies like Intel are doing. All across America, there are innovators and entrepreneurs who are trying to start the next Intel, or just get a small business of their own off the ground," he said.

The truth is, the US has everything it needs to compete: "bold entrepreneurs, bright new ideas and world-class colleges and universities," Obama said. "And, most of all, we have young people just brimming with promise and ready to help us succeed. All we have to do is tap that potential."