The U.S. Department of Labor today welcomed Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to help close out “ETA Vision 2030: Investing in America,” a three-day event on the future of workforce development.
Presented by its Employment and Training Administration, the event attracted more than 500 key stakeholders who discussed strategies for equipping the nation’s workforce for the in-demand jobs the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments in infrastructure, climate and advanced manufacturing sectors will create.
In his remarks, Secretary Buttigieg called on participants to find innovative ways to create new opportunities and to partner with federal, state and local stakeholders to leverage the administration’s investments nationwide.
“We need all of you to create pathways to the jobs that the Department of Transportation will need to improve our nation’s infrastructure,” said Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “It’s important that you make sure they’re good jobs – with a free and fair choice to join a union – and it’s critical that those jobs are accessible to all workers, making sure that the communities that are often most impacted are also helping to shape and build those projects.”
Throughout the event, the need for partnership and equity connected many of the discussions and presentations. Secretary Buttigieg’s remarks concluded three days of workshops in which participants shared best practices on how to access the tools and resources needed to develop local talent pipelines and create pathways to good jobs for workers across America.
The department made two major announcements on May 17, 2023, that support these aims. Specifically, the department announced its Critical Sectors Job Quality grants and announced the newest cohort of 98 Apprenticeship Ambassadors.
The Critical Sectors’ grants will leverage labor-management partnerships to help organizations pilot strategies to improve job quality and increase the availability of good, family-supporting jobs in critical sectors, including care, climate resiliency and hospitality for workers in all communities.
The second cohort of Apprenticeship Ambassadors will help expand Registered Apprenticeships nationwide in emerging and high-growth industries, such as information technology, including cybersecurity; education; healthcare; and clean energy. In becoming ambassadors, organizations commit to promoting Registered Apprenticeships as a high-quality workforce development strategy to meet the needs of high-demand industries.
“The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration asks each of you to return safely to your communities and to use what you’ve learned here at ETA Vision 2030,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Brent Parton. “Engage with one another, connect to build new partnerships to leverage these historic investments, and most importantly, create new jobs. Our nation’s workers are depending on all of us, particularly those marginalized and underserved in our society. Help them get the training they need and deserve to access these good jobs. Together, we can build an economy that works for, and includes, everyone.”
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