President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address tackled a lot of things but each one of us has our own agenda and is more critical on the stuffs that affect or matter to us. And as it has always been the case, the people are divided or have mixed reviews on the SOTU with some being more vocal about it and more disappointed especially those in the opposite spectrum of his politics.

One of the key messages that all those in work uniforms are anxious about is what he has in stored for them. And President Obama certainly focused on the most important issue that is uppermost on every American’s mind and that is our economy. He talked about jobs, job training, immigration, outsourcing and other employment-related issues. The president made it clear to everybody that job growth is a priority and that he intends to ensure getting unemployed workers back to work but he also acknowledged the “skills gap” that is keeping more Americans out of work. In my post Skills Needed To Get Unfilled 3.4 Million Job Openings one of the factors that kept job seekers from getting hired was because of the lack of necessary skills.

In his address, President Obama proposed a new initiative to train and place 2 million Americans in work uniforms with the help of businesses and community colleges. This training program has already been part of the government’s stimulus plan but only a small portion has been spent on it and thus is not enough for the much need skills and knowledge for the work available. Simplified government-sponsored training programs are also seen as solutions to this. Partnerships between companies and community colleges will ensure that the skill they get will lead them directly right to the job.

I still believe that one of the things the government should also work on is to ensure less high-school dropouts since this lowers their earning opportunities and economic prospects. And it’s a good thing that the president also addressed this issue when he called upon every state to make sure that their students not give up on their education.

“We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma.  So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.”

Before calling upon the state and the Congress to help make education easier for students, he also mentioned the teachers and how valuable they are in the future of our children and our economy: "A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance.   Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives."

It is certainly a good reminder to all of us how important education is and how crucial it is to make it more available to everyone. These days no matter how much you want to go to a university the thought of the huge student loan looming afterwards can be discouraging. Even the cheapest state colleges’ tuitions are a struggle and oftentimes become a burden for families today; the very much needed education becomes a pipe dream for most American youth. The president is correct when he said that while other countries are doubling down on education we are cutting down on ours. But, the success of whatever economic plans we make today and its continuous success lie on what we can do for our youth today, and that starts with the best education we can give them. No matter how many jobs we bring in if we do not have the work force skilled and knowledgeable enough to do the job then success will only be partial.

"We will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt and phony financial profits," the president said. "I want to speak about how we move forward and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last -- an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers and a renewal of American values."

The president knows that what has left our shores, like jobs that has been outsourced, will not be brought back to the US for Americans to work on. And his radical way of making sure more people are in their work uniforms here is to kick-start America’s manufacturing industry. The manufacturing industry coupled with other policy changes especially in making sure that no foreign manufacturers has an advantage over our manufacturing industry is what he deemed key to slowly win over our economic slump. The economic blueprint that will reduce income inequality.

And I believe Americans want to believe him or pray that would really get us out there, maybe not as big as before but definitely better. If all his plans are implemented, then we can really expect a great and positive impact on our economy. Maybe, his plans have some weaknesses, maybe he made some mistakes in the ways he sees China as a competitor instead of something to be studied and to look at China and all the possibilities, at what can be done amidst so many adversities. Let us all remember that China's financial system is less modern than ours but manage to finance their development efforts from the construction of universities, airports, and high-tech train statitons. Still, he gives us hope and for now it is more than what we have.

"Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you – America will always win."

Image Source: USA Today