Hilda L. Solis, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, appeared at the “National Journal LIVE Policy Summit: The Workforce Mosaic” this morning and discussed her perspective on the high unemployment rate. She naturally described a lack of jobs as an explanation, but she also raised an interesting point. 4.7 people are looking for every one job, yet there are still employers out their looking for the right employee. Solis cited a lack of coordination between what the employer needs and the training that individuals currently receive. Especially in community colleges and trade schools, the curriculum is not highly adaptable, and employers are finding it increasingly hard to find flexible, adaptable employees with the right skill set. Solis advocated for better access and better quality of education. A higher quality education leads to a more valuable worker she reasoned.

Improving education seems like a worthy goal, but I would like to see this initiative applied more readily to healthcare. The demand for healthcare, especially for geriatricians, will be increasing as the baby boomers retire, and we are already experiencing a shortage in certain sectors. The National Health Care Workforce Commission is a recent attempt to address this shortage. The commission sought to create programs that would encourage health professionals to enter underserved fields, however the commission was deprived funding almost immediately. The commission was never given the opportunity to discuss possible initiatives, which is a real loss for our healthcare system. Although she agreed that the healthcare sector will require more workers, Hilda Solis did not go so far as to call for any new initiatives. “Healthcare is growing,” said Solis, “It is one of the sectors that I see as recession proof.”

I would be curious to hear others opinion on the matter. What do you think of Secretary Hilda Solis’ take on our current education programs?  Do you see a need for government programs to encourage education in the health care sector?  What tools do you use to find qualified workers for your community?  

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