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Following her remarks on the economy and the Latino workforce, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis (left) joined Congressman Lacy Clay and Ciléia Miranda-Yuen, Latino Legacy Project, for a question and answer session.
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A Conversation with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis on the Economy and the Latino Workforce
by Betty Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), October 10, 2012 - Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis visited St. Louis during the last week of the Hispanic Heritage Month to give a community brief about the economy and the Latino workforce and the importance of education and training.
The conversation at the Millennium Student Center-University of Missouri Saint Louis was an initiative of the Latino Legacy Project in collaboration with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce St. Louis and the RCGA.
"We should be talking more and more about investments that are going to make us competitive and allow us to bring some of those jobs we lost overseas back over here to the United States," Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis began in her remarks to local officials, community leaders and representatives of area businesses.
"We still have about 12 million people out of work. Some will have to make a decision if they want to get back into the work force to get trained up for something new or hone in on skills they have and sharpen those work skills," she stated.
Secretary Solis announced that earlier today she had visited St. Louis Community College's Florissant Valley campus to unveil a $15 million training grant from the Department of Labor to the Missouri community college consortium.
In September, the Secretary had announced $500 million in grants to community colleges and universities around the country for the development and expansion of innovative training programs. The grants are the 2nd installment of a $2 billion, 4-year Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative, which promotes skills development and employment opportunities in fields such as advanced manufacturing, transportation and health care, as well as science, technology, engineering and math careers through partnerships between training providers and local employers. The U.S. Department of Labor is implementing and administering the program in coordination with the U.S. Department of Education.
"It's a effort that the President and members of Congress supported to really look at how we can get people back into the work force. We need to retool our community colleges with the notion that the partnership has to be with business and we have to include the community."
She explained that the difference with this grant is that business has to help write the curriculum. "You can't just teach for the sake of teaching."
Secretary Solis noted that the agenda of the program is to evaluate those programs and put them online and put credentials online so people will understand what is available for them so they can become more competitive.
"We hear about employers talking about 3 million jobs that go unfilled and complaining because they don't have enough highly skilled individuals," she said.
"Right now we have about 296 community colleges around the country participating in this program. I'd like to see more and in particular, I'd like to see more communities of color engaged. I'd like to see more Latinos and Hispanics taking a major effort in getting involved and enrolled in these programs."
"We are the fastest, largest growing group, according to the recent census," stated the Secretary enthusiastically. "And, we are a young population. Our young people should be focused on getting more education and training. Many may not be able to attend a four year college, but community colleges have a good track record of addressing the needs of Hispanics. They are also adaptable for changing populations, especially adults who have had a career and are now re-entering the job force."
"As we become even more of a global economy, the more skill sets and education you have, the more valuable you are in the workforce. For those young people who drop out of high school or don't get an advanced degree with a one or two year certificate, their earning power is very low and will remain low," she emphasized.
Secretary Solis also spoke highly about the Youth Build and Job Corps program. "You have students ages 16 - 24 with different backgrounds who go through structured, credential training in non-traditional fields such as learning how to rewire a house or build something from the bottom up and make it LEED certified. It's a free program, but you have to apply and be admitted."
We need to have more Latinos, African American and especially young women enrolling in these programs," she continued.
"We made a point under this administration that any new monies going into these two programs had to include a component for new jobs. If we want our young people and dislocated workers to be more competitive, than we better offer them skills that are marketable."
Secretary Solis acknowledged that it is has been a challenge to get more businesses and communities engaged in the training programs.
"Por Qué?" she asked. "Why? What do we have to do to get more businesses to use these free resources to screen applicants, administer tests, help place them and even provide continuous training for those qualified."
Learn more about the grant program at http://www.doleta.gov/taaccct. A list of grantees by state, including project descriptions, is available.
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Americans See Teacher Performance and Positive School Atmosphere as Keys to Improving Student Achievement
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), October 1, 2012 - The recent teachers' strike in Chicago has brought to the forefront of public attention many issues related to American public schools, among them teacher evaluations, job security and benefits.
In a survey conducted prior to the strike, majorities of Americans perceive recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers (72%) and a positive school atmosphere (64%) as very important for improving student achievement in public schools, while increasing students' (49%), teachers' (46%) and parents' (43%) school satisfaction levels is also clearly important.
But while attracting effective teachers is a concern across political and socioeconomic lines, there remain multiple points of dissent on the best practices for doing so, as well as what constitutes appropriate levels of teacher pay and school funding.
Given the clear importance in Americans' minds of attracting and holding onto good teachers, another key area is how to best accomplish this. Overall, Americans most strongly support enabling schools to more easily remove those teachers not serving students well (73%) as one of the highest priorities in addressing this goal, along with basing teacher effectiveness measures largely on student growth (59%).
Providing better professional development opportunities (55%) and improving job satisfaction (51%) for teachers are also seen as high priorities by many Americans, along with improving teachers' bonuses and salaries (45%).
While all of the tested solutions were popular, presenting a situation in which only one could be funded brings viewpoints into sharper focus. Enabling schools to more easily remove teachers who are not serving students well (43%) is Americans' top selection by a considerable margin, at roughly twice the level of the next strongest option (basing teacher effectiveness measurements on student growth, 21%).
When asked about both teacher pay levels and overall spending on public schools in their communities, Americans most strongly perceive each as receiving too little money (46% teachers, 50% schools), followed - more distantly in the case of overall school funding - by about the right amount (33% and 27%, respectively). However, opinions again vary widely:
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to view both teacher pay (56% vs. 39%) and school funding (63% vs. 39%) as too low. Independents consistently fall between the two parties, though their responses on this matter skew closer to Republican viewpoints.
Parents (57%) are significantly more likely than adults without children in grades K-12 (48%) to rate overall school funding as too low.
Females are more likely than males to rate both teacher pay (52% vs. 40%) and school funding (54% vs. 46%) as too low.
Adults in the South are more likely than those in any other region to perceive teacher pay as too low (31% East, 43% Midwest, 57% South, 48% West).
The perception of teachers as under-paid (46%) is closer to its 1965 level (42%) than in either 2009 (54%) or 2008 (59%), though the perception of teachers as over-paid (12%) - while small - is at its highest point on record. The perception of schools as under-funded continues to be well above 1965 levels (50% 2012, 51% 2009, 57% 2008, 32% 1965).
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Employers Project 13 Percent Increase in Hiring College Grads
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), October 1, 2012 - Hiring will be up for new college graduates, according to a new report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
NACE's Job Outlook 2013 survey shows that employers anticipate hiring 13 percent more Class of 2013 college graduates than they hired from the Class of 2012.
"While employers are seeking graduates from a broad range of disciplines, this fall they expressed particular interest in hiring new graduates with business, computer science, and engineering-related degrees and are looking to college campuses to supply their hiring needs," said Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.
While the hiring outlook is positive among most reporting industries, some industries are especially good bets for new college graduates.
"Those most likely to increase their hiring of new college graduates include employers in chemical/pharmaceutical manufacturing; computer and electronics manufacturing; retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; management consulting; and professional services," stated Mackes. "These fields represent demand for graduates across a spectrum of disciplines."
The Job Outlook survey is a forecast of hiring intentions of employers as they relate to new college graduates. Each year, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) surveys its employer members about their hiring plans and other employment-related issues in order to project the market for new college graduates for the current class and to assess a variety of conditions that may influence that market.
For the Job Outlook 2013 survey, data were collected July 25, 2012, through September 10, 2012. A total of 244 surveys were returned for a 25.2 percent response rate. Of those responding, 14.3 percent of respondents were from the West, 27.5 percent were from the Northeast , 27.9 percent were from the Southeast, and 30.3 percent were from the Midwest.
Additional findings from the survey will be published in October; full results of the survey will be published in November.
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