U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Releases
Strategic Plan
Plan is First in 3 Years, Emphasizes Partnerships and Innovative
Job Training
Washington – U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine
L. Chao has submitted the Department of Labor’s Strategic
Plan for Fiscal Years 2006-2011 to Congress and the Office of
Management and Budget. The plan, which puts increased emphasis
on partnerships with industry and education providers for more
effective job training, is the first update for the department
in three years.
“This Strategic Plan is a blueprint for
a Department of Labor that effectively serves America’s workers
now and in the future,” said Secretary Chao.
The plan outlines the department’s priorities
for the next several years and how the department’s diverse
agency missions and program objectives will contribute to the
achievement of four overarching strategic goals:
- A Prepared Workforce— to provide effective training and
support services to new and incumbent workers and to supply
high-quality information on the economy and labor market.
- A Competitive Workforce — to meet the demands of the
worldwide economy by enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency
of the workforce development and regulatory systems that assist
workers and employers in meeting the challenges of worldwide
competition.
- Safe and Secure Workplaces — to focus on ensuring that
workplaces are safe, healthful, and fair; providing workers
with the wages due them; providing equal opportunity; and protecting
veterans’ employment and reemployment rights.
- Strengthened Economic Protections— to protect and strengthen
economic security through effective and efficient provision
of unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation; ensuring
union transparency; and securing pension and health benefits.
Among the trends that reflect a rapidly changing
workforce are: global competition; the growing demand for knowledge
workers; a shift in the way work is performed; and the transition
to new technologies which will increase access to telecommuting
and e-learning opportunities.
The Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2006-2011
serves as a blueprint for ensuring that the Department of Labor’s
efforts are helping America’s workforce to remain prepared
and competitive in the 21st century. To view the plan, visit www.dol.gov/_sec/stratplan/.
