Blanket Loan Forgiveness, Loan Subsidies, and Failed Job-Training Programs Are Not the Answer to

A year’s worth of pent-up household savings due to COVID-19, and trillions of dollars in new federal spending enacted in the name of COVID-19 relief, massively increased the demand for goods and services. [...] Instead of sacrificing years of earnings potential and paying tens of thousands of dollars, on-the-job education programs provide opportunities for workers to get a free edu- cation (sometimes even being paid in the process as apprentices) and opportunities for employers to attract and retain workers with the skills they need. [...] The Flatiron School and other bootcamp-style programs are teaching a growing number of people, many of whom have no technical background, the skills they need to succeed in high-demand jobs, such as data scientist, software engineer, and cybersecurity engineer, in only 15 weeks.49 Many of these programs offer the option of an income- share agreement (ISA) where the programs have a direct financial. [...] Peterson, John Schoof, and Jay Greene, “During COVID, the More Prestigious the College, the Lower the Quality of Education,” The Hill, March 21, 2022, (accessed April 7, 2022). [...] Burke, “Rising to the Challenge: The Future of Higher Education Post COVID-19,” testimony before the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee of the Education and Labor Committee, U.