Read more about the visit
We were honored to host a visit from U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. Secretary Walsh toured Building Futures and met construction pre-apprenticeship and Building Green Futures training participants. He shared his own path as an apprentice Laborer and how that held to a lifetime career of public service and encouraged participants to continue to pursue career goals.
Secretary Walsh, Governor McKee and, DLT Director Weldon hosted a roundtable discussion in the Building Futures classroom. Industry leaders and education experts discussed a variety of issues related to expanding equity and opportunity via investments in workforce development. Secretary Walsh spoke about the need to include workers and people in the care economy as a vital part of infrastructure investments.
“’It’s not every day that we have a Cabinet secretary in Rhode Island,’ said [Governor] McKee. ‘To have a secretary that understands what it means to earn a living, and to work every day, and have a president that wants to invest this way, we’re blessed.'”
‘But if we want to really get our families back to work, we need to take care of our kids,’ said McKee, who noted that addressing child care and education are top priorities for the state’s workforce.”
Shuman, Cassius. “U.S. Labor Secretary Walsh hears about R.I.’s workforce issues during tour.” Providence Business News November 1, 2021 https://pbn.com/u-s-labor-secretary-walsh-hears-about-r-i-s-workforce-issues-during-tour/