LOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh says he’s impressed with the job training program in Jefferson County Public Schools.

“This is, and I have to be honest with you, probably one of the best visits I’ve had as Secretary of Labor here at this high school,” Walsh said during a tour of Doss High School Wednesday.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio showed Walsh the Academies of Louisville program at Doss; a program Walsh says has good people leading it.

“That’s what makes a difference. That’s the game-changer,” he said. “It’s like having a football team and you have a lot of great players, but you don’t have a good coach. You have the full package here.”

There are 15 Academies of Louisville within JCPS, which are meant to help students enter the workforce with proper training and certification, and to help businesses fill their staffing needs.

Charles Malone graduated from the program earlier this year, and said it piqued his interest because he likes working with his hands. He also liked getting his certification early to work for GE Appliances.  

“That just sounded amazing because it was a job right out of high school, an education paid for by the company I would be partnered with, which was GE appliances,” he said.

Walsh was in town with Fischer, promoting the $3.5 trillion infrastructure President Joe Biden wants to push through Congress.

“Everybody’s fixated on this number, $3.5 trillion dollars, like it’s some incredibly large number,” Fischer said. “Compared to our gross domestic product, it’s not.”

And Walsh said the infrastructure plan is needed to get more programs up and running like the Academies of Louisville.  

“We need to amplify that work, we need to get more money out the door, and we need to work with businesses, we have to partner with businesses and ask them what are the skills their workforce needs,” Walsh said. “And we need to do it now.”