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Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine
L. Chao
St. Louis Carpenters
Joint Apprenticeship Program
Grant Announcement
Afton, Missouri
Monday, October 25, 2004
Thank you, Terry [Nelson, Executive Secretary/Treasurer,
Greater St. Louis Carpenters' District Council].
It's good to see Tony Caputa [Employment Counselor] of the St.
Louis Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Program.
Let me also acknowledge Tom Jones, Director of the Division of Workforce
Development, Missouri Department of Economic Development.
And I want to acknowledge the presence of John Gaal [Director of the
Joint Apprenticeship Program] of the Carpenters Union. John serves
on the Labor Department's Apprenticeship Advisory Committee.
And let me wish the Cardinals good luck in the World Series!
It's a pleasure to be here in Missouri to announce a grant
to develop the skilled workforce we need to build America. Our
nation is facing a shortage of skilled workers, and this grant supports President
George W. Bush's commitment to train workers for well paying
jobs in high-growth industries.
Nationally, the construction industry is expected to create more than 1
million new jobs by 2012.
The grant I'm announcing today is for nearly $2.2 million. It is for the
St. Louis Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Program. With this grant, the Carpenters
will train high school teachers in new construction skills, so they can pass
on these skills to their students. This grant will also help currently employed
workers who are interested in the construction industry find the training
that's right for them. And it will create a special maintenance technician
training program for dislocated workers.
The Bush Administration is committed to expanding the pipeline of Americans
prepared for careers in the construction industry. This industry offers solid
career paths, including educational opportunities that can lead to community
college and 4-year degrees and higher. That's why an educational curriculum
that recognizes the value of the skilled trades is so important.
This Administration is already working with organized labor and industry
associations to support the development of skilled trade and apprenticeship
programs. Earlier this year, I met in Washington, D.C., with representatives
of the nation's leading home-building associations and skilled trade unions.
Together, we launched the Skills to Build America's Future Initiative. Doug
McCarron was there, representing the Carpenters Union as a partner in the
Initiative. This is a joint effort to publicize and strengthen the programs
that teach skilled trades in our country.
Missouri knows the importance of the skilled trades. Skilled trades men
and women have built the Gateway Arch and the Dome. They are modernizing
locks on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. They are building the
new Busch Stadium. They build homes and they build workplaces. That's why
I'm pleased that the U.S. Department of Labor has given Missouri more than
$179 million in the last year for employment and training programs.
The Department of Labor is proud of that effort and proud to be here today,
to announce this partnership—one more step to building a strong future for
America's working families.
So now, I'd like to ask John Gaal and Terry Nelson to
come forward to receive this check.
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