WASHINGTON — In a State of the Union speech focused tightly on jobs and the economy, President Barack Obama outlined his ideas for getting long-term unemployed workers back to work and closing the “skills gap” separating jobless Americans from employers who have positions to fill.
In a speech setting his presidential agenda for 2012 — as well his burgeoning re-election campaign — Obama put forth policies that he said would “restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot,” calling for more job training for young or unemployed workers as well as reforms to the unemployment insurance system.
“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.”
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