In the wake of the Labor Department report of unemployment levels being at their highest since 1983, the President has revealed his plans to alter important aspects of the unemployed’s benefits package. With nearly 540,000 jobs lost in April, the overall percentage of unemployed individuals rose in the U.S. to 8.3%. While distressing, the rate in which joblessness is growing has slowed down.

During a morning press release the President has indicated his desire to have the administration begin the transformation of some important aspects allowing the unemployed to not only get back on their feet, but to ultimately find themselves in a better position with respect to their careers when they do find new work.

Current regulations require unemployment payments to cease as soon as the recipient stops actively looking for work. In order to participate in many retraining programs, recipients must stop receiving monetary benefits. According to President Obama this runs “counter to their long term solution” of finding not just another job, but a better one.

While opponents will argue it is not the governments position to provide a leg up for the unemployed, the administration is already preparing to initiate the changes by requesting Vice President Biden’s wife to head a committee that will oversee many of the President’s requested changes.

In addition to allowing paid benefits to the unemployed who are seeking job retraining, the administration is asking for sweeping changes to Federal Financial Aid programs. Again, if a recipient of unemployment monies stops looking for work, which is the case when seeking education that will lead to better work with their next job, current rules state they may no longer receive weekly payments.

The Secretaries of Labor and Education have been directed to implement changes that will increase Federal Pell Grants, and allow for those applying for Federal assistance to not have their applications based upon their income levels from the previous year. Currently, if an unemployed person hopes to receive Federal Aid monies, they must submit financial information from the year prior, a year when most have been employed and were making substantially more money than they are while receiving unemployment insurance.

Those interested in learning more about the government’s proposed changes should visit the new website set up at Opportunity.gov to receive all of the latest information and changes that may affect their decision making process.

Several states have begun to pass legislation aimed at solving longer term goals of more focused education and training to help increase their students graduation rates, college attendance, and skilled jobs acquisition.

Louisiana state legislators recently passed a bill that would provide for a program which allows 8th grade students to choose an educational path that would steer them into focused training programs versus the traditional high school or GED route. With only about 65% of the state’s high school students graduating, and far fewer attending any level of college classes, the program hopes to increase the high school graduation rate to the 80% mark within 4 years.

Makers of the legislation, realizing that 75% of jobs required some levels of post secondary education, are hoping their new programs will incorporate the necessary education during the students journey from the 8th to the 12th grades.

Upon successfully completing the program, Louisiana students would be highly qualified for job placements in their chosen fields. Additionally, the programs would require higher testing of the basic educational tenets of reading, writing and math.

Programs such as this in Louisiana as well as others should provide the U.S. with increased educational levels in the years to come. And this is one of the President’s stated goals for the American people.