Readout of the President's Call with Prime Minister Cameron of the United Kingdom

The President and Prime Minister Cameron spoke by telephone today, continuing their frequent consultations on a range of global issues.   The President and Prime Minister discussed the situation in Syria, condemning the regime’s violent repression of its own citizens, and agreed to coordinate closely on efforts to pressure the Assad regime and support a transition to democracy.  The two leaders also discussed Somalia, including the status of preparations for the February 23^rd London Conference on Somalia.   The President welcomed the Prime Minister’s personal leadership on this issue.  The President also consulted with the Prime Minister regarding the ongoing transition in Afghanistan and on the situation in the eurozone, including recent developments in Greece.  Finally, the President and the Prime Minister reviewed the status of preparations for the Prime Minister’s March 13-14 Official Visit, when President and Mrs. Obama look forward to welcoming Prime Minister and Mrs. Cameron to Washington, D.C.

FACT SHEET: A Blueprint to Train Two Million Workers for High-Demand Industries through a Community College to Career Fund

In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for a national commitment to help create an economy built to last by training two million workers with skills that will lead directly to a job.  Many industries have difficulty filling jobs requiring specific technical skills, even with many Americans still looking for work.  In the coming years, America will need to fill millions of good-paying mid- and high-level skilled positions in high-growth industries from healthcare to advanced manufacturing, clean energy to information technology.

On Monday, February 13, President Obama will host an event at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia to announce a new $8 billion Community College to Career Fund.   Co-administered by the Department of Labor and the Department of Education, this Fund will help forge new partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train two million workers for good-paying jobs in high-growth and high-demand industries.  It provides funding for community colleges and states to partner with businesses to train workers in a range of high-growth and in-demand areas, such as health care, transportation, and advanced manufacturing. These investments will give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers where people learn crucial skills that local businesses are looking for right now, ensuring that employers have the skilled workforce they need and workers are gaining industry-recognized credentials to build strong careers.

Later this month, Dr. Jill Biden – a community college instructor for the last 18 years and teacher for nearly three decades – and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis will embark on a tour of community college campuses to highlight some of these effective industry partnerships.  They will visit several community colleges and businesses that are working together to get students the skills they need to succeed in the workforce.  Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other administration officials will also visit many community colleges throughout our country.

The President’s Commitment to Build a High-Skilled Workforce Through a Community College to Career Fund

The Community College to Career Fund in the President’s Budget will advance skill building through funding a number of priority areas:

• Developing community college partnerships to train skilled workers for unfilled jobs: The Fund will support community college-based training programs that will: expand targeted training that will meet the needs of employers in growth and demand sectors; provide workers with the latest certified training and skills that will lead to good-paying jobs; and invest in registered apprenticeships and other on-the-job training opportunities. The Fund will also support paid internships for low-income community college students that will allow them to simultaneously earn credit for work-based learning and gain relevant employment experience in a high-wage, high-skill field.  States will also be able to seek funding to support employer efforts to upgrade the skills of their workforce.  Additionally, the Fund will provide support for regional or national industry sectors to develop skills consortia that will identify pressing workforce needs and develop solutions such as standardizing industry certifications, development of new training technologies, and collaborations with industry employers to define and describe how skills can translate to career pathways.
• Instituting “Pay for Performance” in job training:  The Community College to Career Fund will support pay for performance strategies to provide incentives for training providers, community colleges, and local workforce organizations to ensure trainees find permanent jobs.  For instance, states would be eligible for funding to support bonus programs for training programs whose graduates earn a credential and find quality jobs shortly after finishing the program. Pay for performance structures would provide stronger incentives for programs that effectively place individuals who face greater barriers to employment.
• Bringing jobs back to America:   The Community College to Career Fund will allow federal agencies to partner with state and local governments to encourage businesses to invest in America.   State and local governments will be able to apply for grants to encourage companies to locate in the U.S. because of the availability of training to quickly skill up the local workforce.
• Training the next generation of entrepreneurs:  The Community College to Career Fund will support pathways to entrepreneurship for 5 million small business owners over three years through the nation’s workforce system and its partners, including: a six-week online training course on entrepreneurship that could reach up to 500,000 new entrepreneurs and an intensive six-month entrepreneurship training program resulting in entrepreneurship certification for 100,000 small business owners.

Building on Progress:

• Historic investments in community college-led job training: The Obama Administration has made historic investments in community colleges, which provide a linchpin for 21st century workforce training. The Obama Administration has already invested $500 million through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative to support partnerships among community colleges, employers, and Workforce Investment Boards to develop programs that provide pathways for individuals negatively impacted by trade to secure quality jobs in high wage, high skill fields including advanced manufacturing, transportation, health care, and STEM. The Administration will invest an additional $1.5 billion in this initiative over the next three years.  
• Developed significant business and community college partnerships to build Americans’ skills:   Last year, the Obama Administration helped launch Skills for America’s Future, an industry-led initiative to improve industry partnerships with community colleges and build a nationwide network to maximize workforce development strategies, job training programs, and job placements. Through this initiative the President announced a new partnership of private sector employers, community colleges, and the National Association of Manufacturers to provide 500,000 community college students with industry-recognized credentials that will help them secure jobs in the manufacturing sector.

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• William P. Doyle – Commissioner, Federal Maritime Commission
• Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr. – Chairman, Federal Maritime Commission
• James M. Demers – Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation 
• Naomi A. Walker – Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
• Katrina McFarland – Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Department of Defense
• Kenneth Merten – Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, Department of State

The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• David Kotelchuck - Member, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
• Loretta R. Valerio – Member, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
• Karen L. Jefferson – Member, National Historical Publications and Records Commission
• Martin C. Faga - Member, Public Interest Declassification Board
• William H. Leary - Member, Public Interest Declassification Board

President Obama  said, “It gives me great confidence that such dedicated and capable individuals have agreed to join this Administration to serve the American people. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

William P. Doyle, Nominee for Commissioner, Federal Maritime Commission  
William P. Doyle is the Chief of Staff at the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA). Since April 2008, he has also served as the Director of Permits, Scheduling , and Compliance at the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects. From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Doyle was the Deputy General Counsel and the Director of Government and Legislative Affairs of MEBA.  Prior to joining MEBA, he served as a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Marine Engineer from 1992 to 2001. Mr. Doyle received his J.D. from the Widener University School of Law and his B.S. in Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr., Nominee for Chairman, Federal Maritime Commission
Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr., is the Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), having been appointed by the President in September 2009.  Prior to joining FMC, Mr. Lidinsky worked in the maritime trade industry for nearly 40 years, holding a number of positions in both business and government.  From 1986 to 2006, he worked at the global maritime company Sea Container Ltd., where he established its Washington D.C. office and served as Vice President for Governmental Affairs.   From 1975 to 1986, he served as Director of Tariffs and national Port Affairs at the Maryland Port Administration.  Mr. Lidinsky also served as a member of the Sealift Transportation Committee of the National Defense Transportation Association; as Board Director on the Defense, Transportation and Port Security Committee of the British-American Business Association; and as a High-Level Expert to the U.S. NATO Delegation on the Ports and Intermodal Transportation Committee from 1995-2005.  He received his J.D. from the University of Maryland and his B.A. from the School of Government and Public Administration of American University.

James M. Demers, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
James M. Demers is the President of Demers & Blaisdell, formerly known as The Demers Group, which he founded in 1996.  Previously, he served as Vice President for Government Affairs at The Associates Corporation in Dallas, TX (1991-1996) and Marine Midland Bank in New York, NY (1990-1991). Before that, Mr. Demers worked as a stockbroker at Dean Witter in Portsmouth, NH (1989-1990).  In 2008, the Secretary of State for New Hampshire appointed Mr. Demers to the New Hampshire International Trade Advisory Committee.  He received an M.B.A. from Southern New Hampshire University and a B.A. from the University of Miami.

Naomi A. Walker, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Naomi A. Walker is the Deputy Director of Government Affairs, Director of State Government Relations at American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). In 2009 she served as the Associate Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor and before that, the Director of State Government Affairs at the AFL-CIO.  She also established the National Labor Caucus of State Legislators in 2001. Before joining the AFL-CIO in 1997, Ms. Walker served as the Field Director of the Preamble Center for Public Policy.  From 1993 until 1996, she was the Midwestern Regional Organizer for the Children’s Defense Fund. Ms. Walker received her B.A. in Public Policy Studies from Duke University.

Katrina McFarland, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Department of Defense
Katrina McFarland has served as the President of Defense Acquisition University (DAU) since December 2010.  Before joining DAU, she was the Director for Acquisition for the Missile Defense Agency, from 2006 to 2010.  From 1992 to 2005, she worked for the U.S. Marine Corps System Command, holding several positions including Director of Management and Air Defense Systems.  From 1990 to 1992, Ms. McFarland worked for the Department of National Defense in Ottawa, Ontario, where she carried out Procurement Head of Electronics duties.  She began her career in 1986 as a general engineer at Marine Corps Headquarters.  Ms. McFarland received her B.S. from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.

Ambassador Kenneth Merten, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, Department of State
Ambassador Kenneth Merten currently serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Haiti.  Prior to serving as Ambassador in Haiti, he was the Deputy Executive Secretary at the Department of State.  A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Merten joined the Foreign Service in 1987.  His previous overseas assignments have included Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, Economic Section Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Economic Officer at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bonn, Germany, and Vice Consul in Port-au-Prince.  Ambassador Merten’s Washington assignments have included two tours in the State Department Operations Center, Executive Assistant in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, and Cuba Desk Officer.  Ambassador Merten holds a B.A. from Miami University in Ohio, an M.P.A. from American University, and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Miami University.

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Dr. David Kotelchuck, Appointee for Member, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
Dr. David Kotelchuck is Professor Emeritus at Hunter College of the City University of New York.  From 1989 to 2010, Dr. Kotelchuck was Director of the graduate Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences program at Hunter College, and Deputy Director of the New York/New Jersey Education and Research Center. He was also an associate professor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine from 1992 to 2011, a lecturer in physiology and physics at the Harvard School of Public Health from 1979 to 1980, and Assistant Professor of Physics at Vanderbilt University from 1962 until 1967.  In 2008, he received the Alice Hamilton award from the Occupational Health and Safety section of the American Public Health Association.  Dr. Kotelchuck received his B.A. in Physics from Johns Hopkins University, a Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University. and an M.P.H in Occupational Health and Safety from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Loretta R. Valerio, Appointee for Member, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
Loretta R. Valerio has served as an Ombudsman assisting New Mexico claimants under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) since 2007.  Appointed by Governor Bill Richardson, Ms. Valerio has intervened to expedite and improve the claims adjudication for hundreds of EEOICPA claimants.  Ms. Valerio was appointed to this position after seven years of contractor work as a local caseworker and outreach staff for the U.S. Department of Labor administering EEOICPA.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Valerio was a contractor employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the major Department of Energy nuclear weapons sites, where she was involved in the administration of safety related operations, training and communications at the site.

Karen L. Jefferson, Appointee for Member, National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Karen L. Jefferson is the Records Manager at the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center.  She has over 35 years of experience as an archivist working at Howard University, Duke University, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Ms. Jefferson is an active member and Fellow of the Society of American Archivists and a founding member of the Academy of Certified Archivists.   Ms. Jefferson received a B.A. in History from Howard University and an M.S. in Library Science from Clark Atlanta University.

Martin C. Faga, Appointee for Member, Public Interest Declassification Board
Martin C. Faga was the President and Chief Executive Officer of The MITRE Corporation for six years, retiring in 2006.  Before joining MITRE, Mr. Faga served from 1989 until 1993 as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space.  At the same time, he served as director of the National Reconnaissance Office, responsible to the Secretary of Defense and the Director of Central Intelligence for the development, acquisition, and operation of all U.S. satellite reconnaissance programs.  Mr. Faga has been awarded the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.  In 2004, he was awarded the Intelligence Community Seal Medallion.  He was first appointed to the Public Interest Declassification Board in October 2004, and again in January 2009.  He has also served on the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.  Mr. Faga graduated from Lehigh University with a B.S. and an M.S. in electrical engineering.

William H. Leary, Appointee for Member, Public Interest Declassification Board
William H. Leary was Special Adviser to the National Security Advisor and Senior Director for Records and Access Management on the National Security Staff until the beginning of 2011.  In that capacity, he had served as Chair of the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel and Chair of the Records Access and Information Security Interagency Policy Committee.  A strong proponent of governmental transparency, Mr. Leary was one of the primary executive branch officials behind the creation of the Public Interest Declassification Board in 2000 and the development of President Obama’s Executive Order 13526 on Classified National Security Information.  Prior to joining the National Security Council staff, he served as the Deputy Director of the Agency Services Division at the National Archives and Records Administration for five years.  From 1968 until 1973, Mr. Leary taught American history at the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, and the University of South Alabama.  He received his B.A. in Foreign Affairs and M.A. and A.B.D. in history, all from the University of Virginia.

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 3801

On Friday, February 10, 2012, the President signed into law:

H.R. 3801, the "Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012," which defines the term "aircraft" for purposes of determining violations under Federal aviation smuggling laws; and specifies that the definition includes "ultralight aircraft."