Obama to Announce New Manufacturing Initiatives at NOVA's Alexandria Campus

President Barack Obama will announce several new initiatives aimed at improving this country's manufacturing workforce today at Northern Virginia Community College's Alexandria campus.

The initiatives include a standardized credentialing system designed to keep students from spending time and money on training that potential employers aren't interested in, according to the Obama administration.

The manufacturing sector also will help develop a certification system that isn't bound by state lines.

A number of public-private partnerships to support the administration's efforts also will be announced, including those aimed at building the new credentials into 3,500 high school curricula and providing online tools for students and workers, the White House stated in a press release.

The manufacturing sector employs about 11 million people in the United States. About one-quarter of them are 55 or older and expected to retire in the next decade.