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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of
Labor Elaine L. Chao
Joint DOL/HHS Symposium: Pathway to the Future:
How Workforce Development and Quality Jobs Can Promote Quality Care
Washington, D.C.
Monday, May 24, 2004
Thank you, David [Gray]. I'm delighted to join you here today.
I want to thank Governor [Dirk] Kempthorne of Idaho for being
here. Governor Kempthorne is a champion for long-term health care. In fact,
Governor Kempthorne, through the National Governor's Association, has recently
launched an initiative to ensure America's senior citizens have appropriate
access to long-term health care. We'll be hearing from Governor Kempthorne in a
few minutes.
I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services and the
Department of Labor are hosting this very important symposium. The growing
shortage of workers in long-term care is a critical workforce issue that must
be addressed. And through collaborative efforts like this, we can develop real
solutions to fill these jobs and give quality long-term care to those who need
it. So, thank you all for taking part in this two-day symposium.
As most of you know, health care is one of the fastest growing
industries across the country. As our society ages over the next decade, we
will need more health-care professionals than ever before. In fact, 10 of the
20 fastest-growing occupations will be in acute, primary and long-term care.
As part of President George W. Bush's High-Growth Job Training
Initiative, the Department of Labor recently awarded nearly $24.4 million to
innovative health-care training programs across the country. This national
initiative will help ensure that American workers have the skills to fill the
new jobs being created in high-growth industries. And it will help ensure a
pool of skilled workers to provide quality health-care services.
The President's Initiative identifies high-growth industries and then
partners with key stakeholders to help American workers access the training
needed for these jobs. Our partners include employers, industry associations,
labor-management organizations, community colleges, the public workforce system
and others.
The many projects funded cover the health-care spectrum-acute care,
long-term care, allied health-care professionals and the unique challenges
facing rural areas. Let me mention just a couple of our many grants.
The Labor Department gave a $1 million grant to the Paraprofessional
Healthcare Institute. This project targets multiple workforce challenges
related to the recruitment and retention of multi-lingual workers.
And the North Carolina Department of Commerce received a $1.5 million
grant to help workers in transitioning industries train for health-care jobs
where we already see shortages.
These programs and many others support this Administration's strategic
goal of building a prepared workforce for the 21st century. Through these
programs, America's workers gain access to training for good jobs.
So, the work you do in these two days is critical to America's future
… for the healthcare industry, for workers and for those who need
long-term care.
Thank you for being here and for everything you are doing to address
this critical need.
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