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ETA News Release: [03/26/2004]
Contact Name: Lorette
Post
Phone Number: (202) 693-3984
U.S. Secretary of Labor Announces Grant to Help Develop
Long-Term Health Care Workforce
Grant is Part of President’s High Growth Job
Training Initiative
WASHINGTON—U.S.
Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced a grant of $113,296 to the
National Foundation for the Advancement of Elder and Disabled Care in America,
part of the American Health Care Association (AHCA). The grant, part of the
Bush Administration’s High Growth Job Training
Initiative, will develop “Best Practice” models to address
the workforce challenges faced by nursing homes.
“Today we are announcing another grant in a $24.4 million effort to
help train workers for jobs in the high growth health sector of our
economy,” said Chao. “With this $113,000 grant, the American Health
care Association will develop a model program designed to improve recruitment
for long-term health care jobs. If this program is effective, we can expand and
duplicate it throughout the country.”
Among the objectives of the grant are a practical “how to”
guide for nursing home managers and administrators to combat the nursing
shortage in long-term care. The grant will also help long-term care providers
to connect with the public workforce investment system to improve recruitment
efforts and make the profession more attractive to prospective employees.
The grant was presented to AHCA by the Labor Department’s Assistant
Secretary for Employment and Training, Emily Stover DeRocco. “The health
care industry is predicted to grow at a rate of 28 percent between 2002 and
2012, adding 3.5 million new jobs,” said DeRocco. “This grant will
support a template for partnership between nursing homes and the public
workforce system that will help recruit and prepare workers to continue
providing quality long-term health care to America’s seniors.”
AHCA and the National Commission on the Nursing Workforce for Long-Term
Care will support the project. Both organizations will work to communicate and
implement the “Best Practice” models identified by the project.
The President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative
is a strategic effort to better prepare workers to take advantage of new job
opportunities in high growth sectors of the American economy. Through executive
forums with leaders of expanding industries, critical workforce gaps and issues
are identified. Solutions, like today’s grant, are then created in
cooperation with employers, educational institutions and the public workforce
system. Health care is the first in a series of industry rollouts planned under
the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative.
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