Tuesday night President Bush spoke about how important community colleges are in our nation during his State of the Union Address.

To solidify the impact of such higher education, he made a visit to Owens Community College in Perrysburg Township yesterday to congratulate the college on their success as an institution. He also talked about a program called One-Stop, which helps adults reach higher education and propel themselves into the technological world we live in today.

This program trains Ohio’s unemployed workforce and will bring about change that helps Ohio citizens find jobs, Bush said. “I totally recognize in Ohio there are still troubled times,” Bush said. “The manufacturing sector here is sluggish at best.” But the way to fix our troubles begins in schools, Bush said, and also involves helping adults get the skills they need for a brighter future.

Three important points were made by Bush: recognition of the No Child Left Behind idea; the importance of local community colleges; and encouraging programs like One-Stop for adults who have been laid off or are in low-paying jobs.

No Child Left Behind No Child Left Behind is designed to stop low expectations of students in the nation’s schools, Bush said.

“We are raising standards, we’re trusting teachers to make the right decisions, we’re making sure every child — not just a few — but every child, learns the basics of reading and math,” Bush said. “The days of shuffling through our public schools are over.”

Bush said he also wants to put an additional $100 million in high school reading programs, add money for advanced placement programs in low-income schools and increase Pell Grants for college students which lead students into college, the next step in strengthening the nation. Community Colleges In the State of the Union, Bush addressed the importance of educating the workforce through new grants for community colleges, and Christa Adams, president of Owens said she was thankful for Bush’s attention to colleges like Owens.

“Our goal is to help all of our students match their interest with jobs, both locally and nationally,” Adams said. “We tap our partnerships with business and industry –over 400 — to create and implement academic programs that will benefit our students, and in turn our community.”

Bush agreed and said that is why government money has been set aside for community colleges.

“I said last night we would give $250 million for programs that match workers with employers,” Bush said. “There’s no better place to do that than the community college system, because the community college system is flexible.”

One-Stop Program Finally, Bush pulled the two together by explaining how the One-Stop Program, which functions in part through Owens helps in its own way to better our economy and take stress off the unemployed.

One-Stop, as early stated is a program that helps adults, who have been laid off or are stuck in a low-income jobs to become skilled workers through a communicty college experience.

“We must realize,” Bush said, “the workforce needs to be constantly trained to stay up with technological advances.”

And this is what the program does, according to Ruth Larabee, director of Wood County Job and Family Services, it helps those who want the up-to-date training and cannot afford it.

“[The program offers] the latest technology for manufacturing, and is moving in the direction manufacturing is going in order to be competitive,” Larabee said in an interview after the President’s panel discussion. “Our manufacturing practices [today] require a much higher skill level to work current equipment.”

So how does the program work? Those who have been laid off or are in financial crises visit the county’s Job and Family Services office and then, if eligible, became involved with Owens’ Integrated System Technology Program.

This is the first year the program which has enrolled 55 students since March. Eighteen have completed the training. Most of the students had the program paid for them through funds from the Ohio Department of Labor.

Two students of the program, who were both laid off, were in the panel discussion with the President. Both expressed gratitude for the opportunity and were thrilled the program was individually paced.

“They paid for my books, my lab fees, my tuition,” Rebecca Albritton, one of the students said. “All I paid with was my time.” The President asked if it was worth it, she added with enthusiasm, “Very much so.”

The other student, Mike Potter, said he finished the program in three or four months because he was able to work as fast as he wanted. He already has a new higher paying job.

Bush ended his visit to Northern Ohio with a reminder to keep our communities strong by bonding together.

“One heart, one soul, one conscious at a time, and I will call on you to be a part of the army of compassion,” Bush said, “to build your communities and lift the faith in our country.”