From Class to Work

Former Secretary of Labor on the future of the work force
Elaine Chao is the former United States Secretary of Labor. She served in President George W. Bush’s cabinet for both of his terms in office. The first Chinese-American person appointed to a president’s cabinet, Chao worked to improve worker protection and training during her tenure.
Harvard Political Review: Throughout much of your term you talked about preparing America’s youth and investing in the human capital. What is the best way for the government to pursue this goal?
Elaine Chao: Workforce training is very important to ensure that workers are prepared. The average 40 year-old worker has had 10 jobs because there is so much opportunity in America. … The country is creating jobs but not as many as we would like to see right now. We have a shortage of skilled workers in sectors such as health care and nanotechnology. We are at the forefront of developing these new industries. However, there is a disconnect between the skills of workers and what employers want. This is why the training is so relevant. We do a double injury to the worker if we don’t train them for relevant jobs. New initiatives, such as the High Growth Training Initiative, are helping to provide the training necessary.
HPR: Truancy is a large problem for America. Do you feel that there should be more focus on ensuring that more children go to school every day?
EC: We are now in a globalized economy. American students are now competing with people throughout the world. The investment of education is only at its full potential when students are willing to learn and gain knowledge.  The youth are now the strength of American ingenuity and creativity. There is a direct relationship between educational attainment and wage earnings. … For some students who are unable to finish their education through the conventional course the Labor Department offers Job Corps, which connects students to a learning community. They enroll in Job Corps programs and they receive an experience that resembles a college campus with teachers and counselors.
HPR: Some critics of government job searches and training feel that the private market is better equipped to manage the job search. What can you say in defense of government training?
EC: Government training is not the only training that is available and it does not include incumbent training. The private sector spends more money on training then the government does. I believe that all sectors should be involved in preparing American workers. Some of the critics are correct in saying that government cannot predict the skills that will be valuable in the future. The government has to talk to the employer community. The government needs employers’ input.
HPR: What is incumbent training?
EC: The Department of Labor has $10 billion in funds for training. However, it cannot use these funds for workers who have a job. They can only be used for the unemployed. So the workers who know that they will be laid off in a couple of years are unable to receive funding for new training that will help them find a job, once they have lost their current one.
HPR: As the first Asian-American woman to hold this position, do you think that the diversity within the government is representative of the country’s diverse make-up and therefore conscious of the needs of minority groups when making national decisions?
EC: The country has come a long way in the last 40 years. When I came as an immigrant, the country that greeted me was very white. Diversity has come to be a core value in America. We need to find the best people for the job and diversity helps to reach out to more people. I’m an immigrant. My parents are from China. … My father was sponsored to study in America. … It took three years to bring the rest of the family. We came aboard on a cargo ship because it was all he could afford. We sailed for 37 days. I grew up in Queens, N.Y. with furniture from the Salvation Army. America has so much opportunity and intellect. American youths need to take advantage of these opportunities so they can be well rounded and have the courage to lead.