Obama announces $100M in education grants for high school students

President Obama will announce $100 million in education grants for high school students during an appearance Tuesday at a meeting of chief executives in Washington.

The government will award as many as 40 grants to fund the Youth CareerConnect program, which is designed to partner high schools with colleges and employers. 

{mosads}”Many high school graduates lack exposure to learning that links their work in school to college and careers — especially in the critically important fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” the White House said in a statement.

The program will be paid for primarily from Department of Labor revenues from the H-1B visa program.

To qualify, local school districts will need to match 25 percent of the federal grant, as well as recruit a local workforce investment system entity, an employer, and an institution of higher education to partner in the program.

The first wave of programs will be implemented for the 2014-15 school year.

The president has touted investments in career-oriented high school programs throughout the year, including during his State of the Union address and a stop at a high school in Brooklyn last month where students graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate degree in computers or engineering.

“We need to redesign more of our high schools so they teach young people the skills required for a high-tech economy,” Obama said at the time.

In the same speech, Obama argued that  the country can afford to make investments in areas like education.

“Don’t tell me we can afford to shut down the government, which costs our government billions of dollars, but we can’t afford to invest in our kids,” Obama said.