A Fight for the Future: Education, Job Training, and the Fiscal Showdown

Nov. 15, 2012 - Download PDF Version, Notes and Sources

Young Invincibles and National Priorities Project released “A Fight for the Future: Education, Job Training, and The Fiscal Showdown,” a report detailing how the looming fiscal battle could severely threaten key investments in job training and education. This original analysis compares the scale of the challenges in educating the next generation of Americans to actual investments in the education and training of young adults, showing that our federal budget falls far short of the investment needed. The report also compares expenditures on training and education to other budget items like defense spending and tax cuts.

National Priorities Project (NPP) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that makes our complex  federal budget transparent and accessible so people can exercise their right and responsibility to influence how their tax dollars are spent. NPP believes the US federal budget will reflect the values and priorities of a majority of Americans when all people have the opportunity and ability to participate in shaping our nation’s budget.

Young Invincibles (YI) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that seeks to amplify the voices of young Americans and expand opportunity for our generation. YI engages in education, policy analysis, and advocacy on the issues that matter most to this demographic, including health care, education, and economic opportunity. We work to ensure that the perspectives of young people are heard wherever decisions about our collective future are being made.

All dollar amounts through text and figures are expressed in constant 2010 dollars

Authors

Mattea Kramer
Senior Research Analyst
National Priorities Project

Rory O’Sullivan
Policy Director
Young Invincibles

Brian Burrell
State Outreach and Policy Coordinator
Young Invincibles

Research Support By

Samantha Dana
National Priorities Project

Andrew Fieldhouse
Economic Policy Institute

Acknowledgements

We thank the following partners for their helpful feedback during the research and drafting process: James Huettig, National Youth Employment Coalition; Kisha Bird, The Center for Law and Social Policy; Voices for National Service; Terri Nikole Baca, Innovate+Educate; and Erica Morgan, Battelle.

We also thank the valuable feedback from the following members of the Young Invincibles staff: Erin Hemlin, Amy Lin, Jen Mishory, Aaron Smith, and Dustin Summers.