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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S.
Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Home Builders Institute Grant
Announcement
Columbus, Ohio
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Thank you, Bobby [James R. "Bobby" Rayburn, President of the National
Association of Home Builders].
I also want to recognize Jim Sattler [Chairman of Home Builders
Institute]; Fred Humphreys [President, Home Builders Institute];
Jerry Howard [Executive Director, National Association of Home
Builders]; and Kimsha Lowry [Job Corps student]. And a special
"hello" to Bob Weiss [Executive Officer, Home Builders Association of
Kentucky] from my home state of Kentucky and to the other Job Corps
students who are joining us today.
I am delighted to be here in Columbus to announce the very first grant
in a special $19-million program to develop the skilled workforce we need to
build America. Our nation is facing a shortage of skilled workers, and this
program supports this Administration's commitment to train workers for good
paying jobs in high-growth industries.
Construction is at an all-time high in our country. That's because more
people can afford to own their own home than at any other time in our nation's
history. 68 percent of Americans own their homes-a record!
Nationally, construction will create more than 1 million new jobs by
2012. That's great news for families and for America's workers.
The job training grant I'm announcing today is $4.3 million, which will
go to the Home Builders Institute. It will implement the first phase of a plan
to create 10 new construction academies across the country, train 2,500 young
people and workers and develop a model two-year curriculum for residential
construction skills.
This last goal is so important. This Administration is committed to
expanding the pipeline of young people accessing the great career opportunities
and good paying jobs in the home-building industry. It is an industry that
offers educational opportunities that can lead to community college and 4-year
degrees and higher. An important part of that is developing an educational
curriculum that recognizes the value of the skilled trades.
This Administration is already working with industry associations and
organized labor to support the development of skilled trade and apprenticeship
programs. Today's grant will develop another career path for young people
interested in the skilled trades, through the community college system. I want
to note that part of this effort will be to interest more women in the
opportunities available in the skilled trades.
As the heart of the heartland, Ohio knows the importance of the skilled
trades. Workers skilled in carpentry, electrical wiring, plumbing, heating and
air conditioning installation-and all the other components of home building-are
literally the backbone of our nation and our economy. Without them, we would
not be the nation of homeowners we are today. This Administration is committed
to helping the workers in Ohio find and prepare for these good jobs. That's why
I'm pleased that the U.S. Department of Labor has given Ohio more than $314.8
million this year alone for employment and training programs.
Earlier this year, I met in Washington, D.C., with representatives of
the nation's leading home-building associations and skilled-trade unions. We
committed ourselves to a joint effort to publicize and strengthen the programs
that teach skilled trades in our country.
I'm proud of these efforts and proud to be here today to launch yet
another milestone in our plan to build a strong future for America's families.
So now, I'd like to ask Jim Sattler to come forward to receive this
check and say a few words.
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