Monthly Archives September 2013

Labor Secretary Thomas Perez continued his pursuit of advocating for the creation of a strong and unified workforce in his recent address at the AFL-CIO 27th Constitutional Convention in Los Angeles, CA. In his address, Secretary Perez expressed his belief that the labor movement “is one of our greatest forces for middle-class economic security.” He pointed to the tangible and real correlation between the health of middle class and that of a vital and functioning labor movement—something that he warns “has come under withering attack in recent years.” He highlighted the need for a “dynamic and empowered labor movement” as
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According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of unemployed youth in July 2013 was 3.8 million, which represents 16.3% unemployment in the 16-24 year-old age group. It is more than double the current general reported unemployment figure—something that has drawn interest from many quarters. Two opinion pieces, from Robert Ketchum, PhD and economist Robert Lerman, on Paul Solman’s The Business Desk webpage, point to the growing need to explore employer-provided skills-training like Apprenticeship and On-the-Job-Training (OJT) opportunities in more depth to address this issue. Opinions between the two contributors differ slightly. Solman quotes Lerman as stating
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The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has made some successful strides recently in championing the employment cause of both veterans and those with disabilities…something that KRA Corporation has followed closely in recent postings… and now the DOL has managed to take its reinvigorated efforts one step further by recently announcing that the Department has finalized the updated rules regarding the improved hiring of both veterans and individuals with disabilities. The updated rules apply to requirements under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA) and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which accounted for the affirmative
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As an organization committed to improving all sectors of the workforce, KRA Corporation is pleased to learn that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is broadening the scope of its Job Corps program and is expanding into New Hampshire. Frederick Douglass wrote that “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” The Job Corps mission to “help young people ages 16 through 24 improve the quality of their lives through vocational and academic training” speaks to that sentiment through providing this low-income, at-risk group the education, skills, and confidence to succeed through application and hard work.
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