Health Care

High Growth
Job Training Initiative
Executive Forum Information

The High Growth Job Training Initiative, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, is designed to provide national leadership for a demand-driven workforce system that ensures no worker is left behind. It is a strategic effort to prepare workers to take advantage of new and increasing job opportunities in high growth/high demand and economically vital industries and sectors of the American economy. The initiative is designed to ensure that worker training and career development resources in the public workforce system are targeted to helping workers gain the skills and competencies they need to obtain jobs and build successful careers in these industries.

The foundation of this initiative is partnerships that include the public workforce system, business and industry, education and training providers, and economic development working together to develop solutions to the workforce challenges facing these industries and to develop maximum access for American workers to gain the competencies they need to get good jobs in these industries.

In its efforts to meet the workforce demands of the 21st century economy, the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is conducting forums with various targeted high growth industries.

The Executive Forums are opportunities for senior industry executives to communicate the critical workforce issues facing their industry.

The Workforce Solutions Forums are opportunities for industry leaders, employers, educators, public and private workforce professionals, and economic development organizations to work together to identify a range of actual and potential solutions that if implemented could address their industry's workforce needs.

Health Care Industry Executive Forums
ETA conducted five Health Care Industry Executive Forums with approximately 200 health care executives in partnership with the following organizations:

American Hospital Association in Chicago, Illinois, on February 24, 2003
National Rural Health Association in Washington, D.C., on July 8, 2003
American Health Care Association in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on August 4, 2003
American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration in Denver, Colorado, on August 18, 2003
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging in Washington, D.C., on December 22, 2003

Health Care Industry Workforce Solutions Forum
ETA conducted three regional Health Care Industry Workforce Development Forums with approximately 150 leaders from industry, the public workforce system, and the educational system:

East Coast Forum in Washington, D.C. on October 24, 2003
West Coast Forum in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 29, 2003
Central Region Forum in Chicago, Illinois on
October 31, 2003

(For a complete list of forum participants, please contact the BRG.)

Next Steps:
ETA has addressed the workforce issues of the health care industry from a national perspective by conducting Executive Forums with different sectors of the health care industry to gather relevant information from informed groups in a disciplined manner.ETA has addressed the workforce issues of the health care industry from a national perspective by conducting Executive Forums with different sectors of the health care industry to gather relevant information from informed groups in a disciplined manner.

These forums provided ETA and the public workforce system with the opportunity to gain further understanding of the overall critical workforce needs of the industry. After meeting with industry leaders, ETA developed and solidified strategic alliances with business, education, and workforce leaders who are proactively focused on the workforce issues confronting the health care industry and engaged them in developing innovative approaches to addressing their needs through Workforce Development Forums.

ETA has partnered with employers and education providers to develop and model skills training solutions nationally that can be replicated and sustained throughout the state and local public workforce system. These approaches will help ensure that workers have the right skills for the right jobs at the right time.

During the fall of 2004, ETA will provide a competitive grant opportunity to the health care industry. This competitive process will allow ETA to fund more new and innovative national models that address the industry's identified workforce challenges.

National Programs

Apprenticeship
There are currently 4,148 apprentices employed and training in more than 25 health care fields ranging from Certified Nursing Assistant and Licensed Practical Nurse to Surgical Technologist and Emergency Medical Technician.

Job Corps
Job Corps provides training in 12 health-related vocations, including nursing, with 105 of its 118 centers providing health-related vocational training. In Program Year 2002, Job Corps graduated 5,828 individuals in health care vocations.