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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
ETA Leadership Advance
Crystal City, Virginia
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Thank you, Brent [Orrell, new Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training]. It's nice to have you back from the Department of Health and Human Services to help us close out this very important year!
Let me also recognize Bill Sanders, Erika Baum, Dan Murphy, Gardner Carrick, and Tom Dowd for all of their hard work.
Finally, let me recognize Doug Small, who served most ably as the lead ETA official during the transition. Both Emily DeRocco and Mason Bishop are sorely missed. But the visionary reforms they helped to create live on.
We're two months into our final year, and we hope to finish strong. So this afternoon, let me take few moments to thank you for the terrific leadership you have shown and to reflect what we have accomplished for America's workers.
One of the Department's seminal accomplishments over the past seven years has been planting the seeds for needed reform in our nation's public Workforce Investment System. We inherited a system that, for too long, was unresponsive to labor market demands and therefore struggled to prepare workers adequately for today's jobs. Together with your help, we have launched a number of major initiatives to address this challenge. These are demonstrating how a reformed system can be a driving force in connecting jobseekers to education and training that is truly relevant to the needs of our increasingly knowledge-based economy.
Making training relevant means involving employers and other partners in the national conversation over how to best deliver training to jobseekers. And this was long overdue.
The reforms we have made have launched a debate about how to integrate appropriate skills training with many other elements of workforce development. This includes regional resources from industry, educators, economic development, grassroots non-profit organizations, venture capitalists, university research centers, and federal agency partners. Substantive changes to the Workforce Investment Act are still ahead and depend upon congressional action on reforms to the reauthorization legislation. But our discussion is already motivating more partners to engage with our system. This inclusive approach to workforce investment is making a remarkable impact by strengthening the competitiveness of our nation's workforce at a critical time in our nation.
As front line managers in ETA, each of you has made a key contribution to this effort. So on behalf of the entire Department, I want to thank you for giving it your best and making every day count.
Some of the reforms we've worked to bring about haven't been fully embraced by all of the system's stakeholders. However, the economic, labor force and demographic trends that have determined our focus are clearly in our favor.
Our approach is supported by more than the data. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence, as well. Everywhere I travel, employers tell me how grateful they are for being included on the Workforce Investment Boards. Many say they're thankful that students and workers are acquiring core skills that are relevant for their sectors. But, there is still a lot of important work to do. And so, I'd like to challenge each of you to continue to carry on this important conversation and continue to strengthen the system on behalf of America's workers.
Some of you are professionals whose hard work has earned you an SES or supervisory promotion during the last two terms. I've been so pleased to have worked with such a dedicated team throughout the years, during some historic and memorable challenges.
Some of the other milestones we have achieved together include the speedy delivery of services to those impacted by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and your response to Hurricane Katrina. We've eliminated the enormous PERM backlog we inherited, and created a model program that became the blueprint for the President's Prisoner Reentry Initiative. We've focused our efforts on helping at-risk youth turn their lives around, and providing career advancement opportunities for military families. And ETA is currently working hard on two very important rulemakings to modernize the H-2A and H-2B programs, as well grant competitions. These recent initiatives are being done during a challenging budget cycle that all agencies are experiencing, so I thank you for your patience as well.
Of all the vital resources available to large organizations, human resources are the most important. I know I can count on you, the ETA leadership team, to continue the national dialogue we have started and to make a difference everyday for America's workers.
Thank you and enjoy this evening's reception!
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