Today’s young people must graduate from high school with the skills necessary to succeed in the 21st-century global economy. And that certainly includes youth with disabilities. To that end, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services are working closely together to create opportunities for youth with disabilities to graduate college- and career-ready.

Click on this image to read about Brendan O'Neill, a medical center clerk whose path to integrated employment started when he was preparing to transition out of secondary school.

Our economy demands a talented and diverse workforce. President Obama has called on the federal government to hire an additional 100,000 workers with disabilities by 2015. Sen. Tom Harkin joined with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in setting a goal to increase the size of the disability workforce from less than 5 million to 6 million by 2015. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, as chair of the National Governors Association, has called on state governments to identify business partners who will work with them to develop strategic plans for the employment and retention of workers with disabilities.

We believe that all youth, including youth with disabilities, must graduate from high school with the knowledge and skills to be successful in the workforce. While in school, students with disabilities must be held to high expectations, participate in the general curriculum, be exposed to rigorous coursework, and have meaningful and relevant transition goals and services aligned to college- and career-ready standards.Research has shown that effective transition services are directly linked to better postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities. Research also tells us that to flourish in the workplace, youth with disabilities must also be provided with the opportunity to develop leadership skills, to engage in self-determination and career exploration, and to participate in paid work-based experiences while in high school. With only 20.7 percent of working-age people with disabilities participating in the labor force, compared to 68.8 percent of those without disabilities, we must do better!

That is why we’re currently hosting, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Social Security Administration, the first national online dialogue to help shape federal agency strategies for helping young people with disabilities successfully transition from school to work. We know that we cannot do this alone. To bring about lasting change, we need educators, service providers, disability advocates, policymakers, and youth with disabilities and their families to provide input. We want and need to hear from you!

Akin to a “virtual town hall,” this dialogue invites members of the public to help us learn what’s working, what’s not and where change is needed, with particular focus on how various federal laws and regulations impact the ability of youth with disabilities to be successful in today’s global economy. This “Conversation for Change” started on May 13 and runs through May 27. More than 2,000 people have participated, and we want you to join in also! We encourage everyone who is interested in improving transition outcomes for youth with disabilities to contribute.

We hope you will lend your voice to our efforts to ensure inclusion, equity and opportunity on behalf of America’s youth with disabilities.

Join the conversation.

Kathy Martinez is the assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy.  Michael Yudin is the acting assistant secretary of education for special education and rehabilitative services.

Accepting the position of assistant secretary of labor for veterans’ training and employment brought me from Montana to Washington, D.C. This month, my new job took me from the district all the way to Alaska. You may not know it, but at approximately 10 percent, the percentage of Alaskans who are veterans is one of the highest in the nation.

Assistant Secretary Kelly (far L) visits a VFW post with Sen. Begich (4th from R) and Rhett Jeppson of the Small Business Administration's Office of Veterans Business Development (2nd from L).

So I made the 6,700-mile roundtrip to spend four days days learning firsthand the unique challenges faced by Alaska’s veterans and their families, and how the Labor Department can improve our services to them. Sen. Mark Begich, an advocate for Alaska’s veterans, accompanied me throughout the trip and offered valuable insight.

[Listen to a radio interview with Assistant Secretary Kelly and Sen. Begich.]

Assistant Secretary Kelly tours a Yuut Elitnaurviat training facility.

I learned that delivering employment services is a challenge when many veterans live in small communities spread across vast distances. Employment opportunities in remote communities are limited, and travel logistics can be complicated by weather and high costs. But some organizations like the Yuut Elitnaurviat People’s Learning Center in Bethel have been successful in creating training programs that have helped veterans in remote communities learn valuable trade skills, and we can learn from the center’s example.

In the state’s more populated areas, the challenges are similar to those faced by veterans in other states, such as learning to translate military skills into civilian employment and supporting a family while making major life adjustments.

Army veteran William Wallace is a participant in IBEW's electrician apprenticeship program.

There are many good, middle-class job opportunities for veterans in Alaska in what are traditionally labeled “blue collar” fields. I toured an electrician apprenticeship program that trains veterans and talked to veterans employed at an aviation products manufacturing facility. Manufacturing is one of the fields in which the administration’s successful Joining Forces initiative has secured nearly 300,000 commitments from private businesses to hire or train veterans and their spouses, along with transportation and logistics, first responders, health care, and information technology.

Helping employers understand the value of hiring veterans, as well as how to recruit and retain them is part of our mission. I shared how veterans bring skills and leadership to any work environment with business leaders from the state’s aircraft, freight, construction and environmental sectors. I also held a roundtable with labor leaders from the AFL-CIO, Pipefitters, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Carpenters Union and others to discuss what veterans need to succeed in the workplace.

Some veterans aren’t waiting around to be hired; they’re going out and starting businesses of their own. I met some of these “vetrepreneurs” and directed them to federal resources that can help them turn their goals into reality.

Meeting with veterans who are students at the University of Anchorage

At the University of Anchorage, I spoke with student veterans about their own job prospects. For veterans considering going back to school, the Labor Department has an online tool called My Next Move for Vets, which includes a list of “bright” occupations that are growing.

I was encouraged by what I saw in Alaska, and I’m encouraged by the positive signs we’re seeing in veterans employment. But we know there is more work to do: 1 million more service members are expected to transition into the civilian workforce over the next few years. To help meet those needs, the president has proposed substantial funding increases for veterans programs administered by the Labor Department.

At each stop I thanked the veterans I met for their service, sacrifice and selfless commitment to protecting and promoting our freedoms. And I emphasized that we in Washington are committed to upholding our duty to honor that sacrifice by helping veterans find good jobs, no matter how far from the capital they might be.

Keith Kelly is the assistant secretary of labor for veterans’ employment and training.

Helping communities across the country develop a “skills infrastructure” will ensure workers are prepared for the fastest growing jobs of the future. The departments of Labor and Education are working together to help make this goal a reality through unprecedented investments to expand the training capacity of community colleges.

Deputy Secretary Harris tours the mechatronics advanced manufacturing lab of Reading Area Community College in Pennsylvania, a TAACCCT grantee, in July 2012.

Nearly $1 billion in grants already has been awarded through the first two funding rounds of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative, known as TAACCCT.

In April, acting Labor Secretary Seth Harris announced the third round of funding for this initiative, providing an additional $474 million dollars to community colleges for developing innovative training programs in industries like advanced manufacturing, health care and information technology.

Single institutions have until June 18 to apply for funding, while schools applying together as a consortium have until July 3.

To help provide information about this exciting grant program, we’re hosting a webcast on Thursday, May 23. This session will highlight important focus areas for this third round, including employer engagement, capacity building and innovative service delivery. Current grantees, nationally recognized experts and administration officials will be on hand to share their experiences and advice.

The grants awarded in 2011 and 2012 are already helping students access high-quality training, earn industry-recognized credentials and gain access to good jobs. We know that the most successful programs are those that build strong employer and community partnerships, which lead to students finding employment more quickly after graduation.

The webcast is open to everyone, so whether you are planning to apply, looking to partner with a program in your community or simply have an interest in the TAACCCT initiative, we hope to see you there!

Jane Oates is the assistant secretary of labor for employment and training.

In the past three months, I’ve met with workers earning at or near the minimum wage in 13 cities across the country. These workers have educated me about what it’s like to live and try to raise a family on the minimum wage. They have also shared with me what a moderate increase in the minimum wage – like the one President Obama has proposed, from $7.25 to $9 an hour – would mean in their lives. They’ve told stories of difficult daily choices, of sacrificing one necessity for another, just to survive.

Acting Secretary Harris at the Baltimore minimum wage roundtable, May 14, 2013.

This week, I traveled to Baltimore to visit Our Daily Bread Employment Center, where I heard some of the most compelling stories yet. Both the current and former labor secretaries of Maryland, as well as representatives from the mayor’s office, joined me in listening to about two dozen workers from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some were fighting to overcome mistakes made earlier in life, some either had degrees or were pursuing post-secondary education; but they all agreed raising the minimum wage to $9 would give them just enough breathing room to support their families and increase their chances of advancement.

De’Warren has a bachelor’s degree and someday hopes to start his own business.  But this winter, his minimum wage salary forced him to choose between paying the electric bill and purchasing food for his kids. He chose food. When his electricity was cut off, he had to store the food in plastic coolers and tried to grill everything outside before it spoiled.

The roundtable discussion took place at Our Daily Bread Employment Center.

Erin, who works at a food kiosk in the mall making the minimum wage, fought back tears as she described recently taking on a second job with one goal in mind: getting a place for her and her son to live. “I’ve been homeless since my son was born,” Erin said. “Our survival has depended completely on help from friends, or organizations like Our Daily Bread, and I can’t live like this much longer.”

Kali, another single mom, had a similar story. Currently living in a homeless shelter with her daughter, Kali made it clear that she doesn’t have any illusions about affording luxuries, even if the minimum wage is raised: “I’m not trying to buy my daughter a video game system here – I’m trying to put a decent roof over her head.”

Other similar stories were echoed around the table. Jonathan, a 25-year old father, knows he needs to go back to school to upgrade his skills but can’t afford to. Erin, a waitress, admitted to dragging herself to work with the flu because she couldn’t afford to lose a day’s pay. And Laura, a fast food employee, would like to get her and her teenage daughter off of food stamps.

Acting Secretary Harris with some of the roundtable participants.

The roundtable lasted 30 minutes longer than scheduled, and I would have let it go on all day had I been able. Afterward, a reporter asked me if I’d describe the event as heart-wrenching.  While I understood why he asked the question, I said “no.” These low-wage workers have shared their stories for me; their resolve, their resilience, their depth of commitment to their families should ennoble and empower all of us.

The roundtables have convinced me that these low-wage workers are their own best advocates. Beyond all of the powerful economic arguments in favor, raising the minimum wage is an issue of human dignity. Eddie, one of the roundtable participants, put it as well as I ever could: “With a raise, it will make people go out more sincerely and pursue work. As a people, as Americans, we need something to look forward to.”

The president has encouraged me to continue giving these hardworking Americans an opportunity to be heard.  So my staff and I will move forward with our minimum wage tour in the coming weeks, gathering and amplifying more stories as we build momentum for the president’s proposal.

Seth Harris is the acting secretary of labor.

Youth with disabilities, like all young people, should grow up expecting to work and succeed. It’s critical that parents, educators and other influential adults reinforce this expectation, and the messages can’t start early enough. Of course, our nation’s education and employment policy must also cultivate a clear vision of work and community participation for young people with disabilities.

I was born blind and grew up in a large family. My sister Peggy was also born blind. We were the middle of six children, and there was no diagnosis for our blindness. But we were incredibly lucky because from a young age, our parents instilled in us an expectation of work. Fortunately — or unfortunately, depending on which way you look at it — this expectation started with household chores. And while I liked emptying the garbage as much as any teenager, I realize today that those chores taught me lessons about responsibility and accountability that are still relevant in my professional life.

Not all adults shared my parents’ expectations, however. So my parents often had to advocate for us. For instance, they fought for me, and later Peggy, to attend our local public school instead of a special one for the blind far away from our home and community. Basically, when my parents couldn’t wait for change, they made change happen.

That was good training for me, because today it’s my job as head of the Office of Disability Employment Policy. Each day, my ODEP colleagues and I work to make change happen. One of the changes we are working on is how to create more opportunities for youth with disabilities to successfully transition from school to adulthood and the world of work. Towards that end, we — in collaboration with the U.S. departments of Education and Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration — are hosting an online dialogue May 13-27, 2013.

The purpose of this dialogue is to examine the impact of existing federal regulations and legislation on the transition from school to work for youth with disabilities. Compared to their peers without disabilities, these young people are twice as likely to drop out of school and half as likely to enroll in and complete postsecondary education. We’re enlisting the public’s help to change these outcomes.

Everyone with a stake in providing a pathway for youth to live, work and thrive in their communities is invited to visit the website and share their opinions. The website will be accessible and moderated. By submitting your ideas as well as commenting on and rating those of others, you will be providing important information that can help our agencies better align our policies, programs and practices.

Together, we can make change happen on behalf of America’s youth with disabilities.

Kathy Martinez is the assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy.

Acting Secretary Harris (R) with Joe Sharpe, director of the American Legion's National Economic Division, May 13, 2013.

On May 13, 2013, acting Secretary Seth Harris and representatives of the American Legion hosted a Twitter town hall on veterans employment issues. Other federal agencies jumped in, too. Here’s a look at the conversation (with Q’s & A’s) as well as some resources that were shared.

Mother’s Day is the time we show our mothers and grandmothers how much we appreciate them and the sacrifices they made to take care of us. Most of us had no idea growing up what it took for our parents and other caregivers to balance family, work and life responsibilities.

In the past 20 years, workers have used FMLA leave more than 100 million times, secure in the knowledge that their job would still be there upon their return.

Thanks to the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, many working women have been afforded unpaid time off to care for our children and other family members without worrying about the loss of our jobs or health insurance benefits.

But for the working women of my mother’s generation, no such protection existed − the FMLA was only passed 20 years ago, in 1993. Employees were rarely able to take leave to care for an ill family member. Women who wanted to have a career as well as a child were often not given any accommodation to take time off to give birth and rear their newborns. If a worker needed to take time off for one of these important reasons, there was no guarantee she or he would not be fired.

Today there are 72.6 million women who work outside the home. A growing number of these women have children under the age of 18 (almost 71 percent), are single mothers with children under the age of 18 (almost 76 percent) or are caring for someone who is ill, disabled or aged. We know women still face many barriers to full participation in the workforce, and there is a continuing need to adopt practices that meet working mothers’ (and fathers’) needs in the 21st-century workplace and beyond.

Since 1993, we know FMLA leave has been used more than 100 million times, and has made a tremendous difference in the lives of millions of workers. We also know that the FMLA has not imposed an undue burden on employers, based on the results of a recent survey.

This Sunday, we wished moms everywhere a happy Mother’s Day. In the days and weeks that follow, let us recommit ourselves to the beliefs that inspired the FMLA, and renew our efforts to create fairer and healthier workplaces for working women.

Latifa Lyles is acting director of the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau.

When I arrived at the Mine Safety and Health Administration in 2009, I made it a top priority to beef up enforcement of anti-discrimination provisions contained in the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 Act. Section 105(c) of the act protects miners, their representatives and applicants for employment from retaliation for identifying safety and health hazards, asking for MSHA inspections, or refusing to engage in an unsafe act.

Unfortunately, the reality is that many fear retaliation by their supervisors for exercising those rights.

We saw this through the course of the investigation of the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, and we continue to see it as we investigate discrimination complaints submitted to MSHA. Last year, we filed 46 temporary reinstatement requests and 34 discrimination cases on behalf of miners across the country − the most ever in a year.

Here’s a recent example: A miner working as an electrician at the New Elk Mine in Trinidad, Colo., contacted MSHA about hazardous conditions along a beltline that he claimed were not being properly addressed by his supervisors. The day after he filed the complaint, MSHA issued several citations to the mine. The electrician’s position and shift were changed multiple times over the next three weeks and, not long after, he was terminated. He then filed a discrimination complaint with MSHA.

Following a hearing before a judge with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, New Elk Coal Co. has agreed to pay approximately $115,000 to the miner. The company also has agreed to pay MSHA a civil penalty of $10,000.

All miners, supervisors and contractors have the right to identify hazardous conditions and refuse unsafe work without fear of discrimination or retaliation, plain and simple. Hopefully, this case will serve as a reminder to all mine operators.

For more information on rights in the workplace, including the Miners’ Rights Handbook and online training tools, visit www.msha.gov.

Joseph Main is the assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health.

Are you a veteran who has questions about navigating a civilian job search? An employer looking to hire a veteran but are not sure where to start? Do you have friends or family struggling to find a job after transitioning from military service?

The Labor Department (@USDOL), Acting Secretary of Labor Seth Harris (@ActingSecHarris) and The American Legion (@AmericanLegion) will be on hand to answer questions about resources available to connect veterans with good jobs during a Twitter town hall on Monday, May 13, from 11 a.m. – noon EDT. Use the hashtag #VetsJobsChat to join!

The department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released its report on veterans unemployment in 2012, which showed a decline to 7.0 percent from 8.3 percent in 2011. That’s good news, but for the Department of Labor and veterans service organizations like The American Legion, it’s an opportunity to redouble our efforts to make sure every veteran who wants a job can find one.

In his fiscal year 2014 budget for the Department of Labor, President Obama has doubled down on his commitment to employing veterans with additional investments in the department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, the agency that leads the federal government’s charge to help veterans find good jobs. The American Legion is a longtime supporter of VETS; in February, VETS Assistant Secretary Keith Kelly spoke during the Legion’s annual Washington Conference.

Together, government agencies and veterans service organizations constitute a vast support network for our transitioning service members, and we want to make sure veterans and employers have the information they need to find the programs or services that meet their needs. For more information on the Legion’s efforts in the area of veterans employment, click here.

You can submit your questions in advance by using the hashtag #VetsJobsChat or by sending them via email to Contact.VETS@dol.gov. We look forward to a lively discussion!

We all know that it is important to save for retirement. Knowing how much to save and how to spread that money out over time is challenging, but good information can help. That is why the U.S. Labor Department is looking for the best ideas on how to improve existing periodic benefit statements to show workers who participate in employer-sponsored retirement plans what their savings could look like stretched out over the course of retirement.

Right now, 401(k) and other retirement account statements include the savings balance in an individual’s account. What many do not show is what this balance would look like if it were spread out on a month-to-month basis over the course of an individual’s retirement, or how this amount may grow over time with additional contributions and investment returns. Without information on what a retirement account balance looks like as a lifetime stream of income, it can be difficult for workers to know whether they are saving enough.

Lifetime income illustrations are good for workers at all stages of their careers. Young workers can figure out early on how much to save. Retirees can determine how to make that 401(k) nest egg last. And mid-career workers, who may be struggling to save, can get a realistic view of how their current accounts will look in 10 or 20 years and what steps can be taken to shore up their savings.

While we believe that lifetime income illustrations are an effective way to help workers save, we need input from you, the public, to figure out the best way to present this information. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will be published in the Federal Register on May 8 is your opportunity to help us get it right.

Saving a little bit out of each paycheck for retirement is a challenge for most. For many, it takes foresight to know that the money will be needed in the future – not tomorrow, or even in 10 years, but much later down the road.  Knowing how much to save and how to stretch it out over a long retirement can be tough, even discouraging at times. And it takes discipline to leave the money alone until that retirement date comes. But with your input, we can help workers save more for later.

I hope that you will take this opportunity to share your thoughts with us.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Phyllis Borzi is the assistant secretary of labor for employee benefits security.