U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said investing in education will pull the U.S. out of the recent economic slump by creating new jobs in high-growth fields.
Solis visited New Mexico on Thursday and Friday as part of a nationwide campaign to promote the Obama administration’s new labor policy.
“We are on a path to come back,” Solis said. “We’re doing it slowly; we still have a lot more work to do.”
Solis said she is committed to creating more incentives for students to go to college, including more funding for financial aid and Pell grants.
“That’s really where I’m coming from as secretary of labor — looking at what kind of investments we can make in education to make us more competitive,” she said.
She said the Obama administration hopes to invest $2 billion in schools across the nation focusing on math, science and healthcare.
As the first of her family to attend college, Solis said she understands the importance of financial assistance.
“I was a student who actually benefited from those programs,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have that kind of resource.”
She said Obama is looking into putting caps on how much of student loans will have to be repaid for those who are going into public service.
“You shouldn’t have to be burdened by paying back all that money,” she said.
She said if reelected, the president hopes to remove banking institutions from the student-loan process, so students can borrow directly from the federal government.
“Why do we need a middleman who’s going to reap some of that money that should be going directly to create more student loans that are low cost and affordable?” she asked.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Solis said the administration aims to help returning veterans find employment by helping them transfer skills learned while serving into civilian careers. She said the unemployment rate is 13 percent for those between the ages 18 to 24 returning from military service.
Solis said she is also interested in creating “green” jobs in renewable energy fields by ensuring there are tax credits and extensions in research and development for new technology.
Solis also stressed the importance of supporting women in the workforce, especially in engineering and science.
“We need to do more to get more women into these careers,” she said.
