Remarks By Ronald R. Peterson At The Press Briefing To Announce The Department Of Labor's High-Growth Job Training Initiative Grants To The Johns Hopkins Health System And The State Of Maryland, March 12, 2004

Mr. Peterson welcome and introduction:

Welcome - Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Assistant Secretary of Labor Emily DeRocco, Governor Robert Ehrlich, Maryland Secretary of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation James Fielder, Johns Hopkins Medicine Dean and CEO Dr. Edward Miller, and all of our distinguished guests.

This is a very special day for the Johns Hopkins Health System and for all who are concerned about the health care workforce. It's also a special day for those concerned about jobs for our communities.

Secretary Chao's experiences as an 8-year-old immigrant to this country, as Director of the Peace Corps and as President of United Way prepared her to mobilize the Department of Labor to promote pathways to economic freedom for those working to achieve the American Dream.

Today, the Secretary has an important announcement to make about a program designed to do just that. Secretary Chao . . .

Secretary of Labor speaks.

Secretary of Labor presents a check to Governor Ehrlich and to Mr. Peterson.

The Governor speaks.

Mr. Peterson speaks:

· First, let me thank Secretary Chao, Assistant Secretary DeRocco, and the Business Relations Group for their outstanding leadership in forming this Job Training Initiative and for their investment in and commitment to our workforce.

· We were delighted to learn of plans to work with organizations in each of the targeted high-growth industries to further develop proven "best practices". By sharing these methods with others, we'll be helping to close a very serious gap.

· While we cannot speak for the other industries participating in the initiative with the Department, we can certainly speak from our own experience. The Secretary is right -- we face two very critical issues within the health care industry:

· The lack of adequate numbers of well-trained individuals to join us as the demand for health care grows and,

· Equally important, a very serious "skills gap" between what we need people to know to help care for our patients and the skills of newly hired employees.

· My belief in the importance of bridging this gap led to my role as Chairman of the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board. The Board strives to unite the business and public sectors, educational institutions and charitable foundations to benefit Baltimore's unemployed and economically disadvantaged. The Board's goal of creating a workforce development system that improves the skills of our citizens to meet the needs of local businesses mirrors your goal.

· Johns Hopkins Health System's special commitment to serve the people of East Baltimore, combined with the shortage of trained individuals and the growing skills gap, led us to test this Skills Enhancement Model. It's proven remarkably effective, although on a modest scale, to help attract, retain, and upgrade the skills of our workers. We believe that one of the most cost-effective ways to rapidly meet the workforce and skills shortages in our industry is to do all we can to keep the people we have and to provide them with the skills we need. And it's working!

· I'd like to thank our local partners -- many present today -- for their critical help in these efforts: The Abell Foundation, Empower Baltimore Management Corporation, Baltimore City Community College, the Mayor's Office of Employment Development, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Governor's Workforce Investment Board and the Open Society Institute of Baltimore.

· And I'd especially like to thank Pamela Paulk, the Johns Hopkins Health System and Hospital's remarkable Vice President for Human Resources, and her team for a pilot project so compelling that it qualified us for this new grant.

· With the help of this grant, our model can be taken to scale. We'll package our results, our processes, and our systems into a format easily usable by others. The Johns Hopkins Health System is committed to working with the Department of Labor to encourage the use of this model throughout the health care industry.

· Madam Secretary, we stand ready to reach out with our staff in train-the-trainer sessions, in public forums of your choosing, and through our participation in industry organizations. We'll be aggressive in our efforts to stress the value we see in investing in the current workforce and closing the skills gaps. We'll also support your efforts to expand the numbers of individuals preparing for a career in health care, especially in our most critical occupations. We're working on some ideas for that effort, and will be bringing them to you soon for your advice and counsel.

· Finally, I want to thank you on behalf of so many at the Johns Hopkins Health System who will receive new opportunities for assessment, skills training, and better job opportunities as a result of this grant. While we want to build a very effective model for use throughout the industry, most of all, we want to be sure that the people who have joined the Johns Hopkins family are given every opportunity to grow and succeed and to have a truly rewarding, long-term career with us.

· On behalf of our institution and, most importantly, our workers who will benefit from this investment, please know you have our heartfelt appreciation and the commitment of our institution to support your efforts throughout the health care industry.

· With us today, we have three employees who have benefited from our pilot project:

· Renee Elliott started at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians as a Certified Medical Assistant. She improved her skills and came to the Hospital last year as a Clinical Associate. Renee wants to pursue a career as a registered nurse. Her manager feels that she will be an asset to the nursing profession and further states that her ability to make each patient feel that she understands their concerns is remarkable. So Renee is now going to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. After two years of training and receiving her Associates Degree in nursing, she will be hired as an RN in Hopkins Department of Nursing, earning $22.05/hour.

· Gerald Phillips was hired as a floor tech at $7.90/ hour in the summer of 2002. Gerald took advantage of the JHH Skills Enhancement Program and completed a medical terminology course in the fall of 2002 as a foundation for future clinical training. Gerald was promoted to an environmental services tech and continued to take courses to improve his skills. His new position placed him in the O.R. where he decided to pursue a career as a surgical tech. As a step into the clinical aspects of the O.R., Gerald started training as an instrument processor in August 2003, earning $12.20/hour. Gerald next plans to pursue Surgical Tech training. Once he completes 14 months of training and receives his certification, Gerald will be hired as a surgical technician at a starting salary of $14.80/hour.

· After serving 4 years in the armed services and working for various local security companies, Elliott Ward, Jr. joined Hopkins as a Protective Services Officer earning $10.38/hour. One of the most appealing aspects of the job with Hopkins was the tuition assistance program. Elliott worked in Security for six years before entering the STEP program that allowed him to receive training while still drawing a paycheck. He is currently a Certified Pharmacy Technician, earning $12.20/ hour, and has completed his first year in this new position. His long term career goal is to be a Pharmacist. Elliott says it is truly a blessing to be employed by an employer who invests in its employees. Elliott…

Elliott Ward speaks.

Secretary Chao gives closing remarks.