Resource Library

In July 2019, Volunteers of America Michigan (VOAMI) added a new staff role to their VOAMI Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program. The Training and Enrichment (TE) Specialist offers extra guidance to participants as they move from enrollment to healthcare training to employment. The TE Specialist offers one-on-one support, connecting participants to the best resources for their needs. They host workshops and job fairs and also reach out to local healthcare employers to stay up to date on open positions, company culture, and future needs.

Montefiore Medical Center focuses on promoting healthier neighborhoods through commitment to community and population health. They are helping build healthcare workforce development opportunities for residents of the Bronx, New York and its surrounding communities. Montefiore Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) provides support to its participants to complete home health aide training, obtain employment, and pursue career advancement. To date, Montefiore HPOG has helped hundreds along career pathways to self-sufficiency.

Healthcare employers in Anchorage, AK, look beyond test scores when hiring entry-level employees. The demand for new hires with interpersonal and soft skills is on the rise. Employer partners of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council Health Profession Opportunity Grants (CITC HPOG) program in Alaska stated a clear need for entry-level employees to demonstrate such skills. Initiative and a strong work ethic are highly sought-after traits, yet they are often hard to find in the incoming local healthcare workforce.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients in Texas face a challenge when it comes to training and education. Under the state’s work-first service model, parents are required to work a minimum of 30 to 40 hours a week to receive TANF benefits. This forces them to choose between work and school. Through thoughtful planning with community partners, Alamo Colleges District’s Alamo Health Profession Opportunity Grant (Alamo HPOG) program found a way to offer full-time training to TANF recipients without fear of losing their benefits.

One of the strengths of Pathways to Success in Health Care (PSH) is the program’s network of community partners. This diverse network offers PSH participants the support they need as they move through training into the high-demand healthcare field. PSH is facilitated by the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) . CCAC’s position as a trusted education provider helps PSH leverage existing partnerships as well as establish new ones to support training, employment, skills development, and recruitment.

Health-Care Ute Project (HCUTE) uses Distance Education to connect rural, at-risk adult members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe with post-secondary education. Education options for reservation Natives are usually inaccessible and unfamiliar. The few tribal members who leave often find the experience culturally intimidating, and dropout rates are high. For those who succeed, they do not return to the reservation after accepting jobs in their field, which weakens the local infrastructure.

PHOCAS creates a collaborative support ecosystem to help rural students succeed.

Working with rural populations presents unique challenges for workforce development programs. With individuals scattered over large geographic areas, administrators must come up with creative ways to reach participants who may live many miles from access points and have limited transportation options. The Northeast Louisiana Professional Healthcare Opportunities—Careers And Support (PHOCAS) Project has made its wrap-around services a key aspect of the support provided to its students.

One-on-one coaching helps students returning to the classroom after many years succeed in healthcare training.

Health Careers Northwest (HCNW) is a WorkSource Portland Metro program that provides coaching, training, and job placement support to low-income adults interested in healthcare. They strive to assist job seekers obtain middle-income wages by providing support services and guidance during the training phase of their career journey.

In promoting their Healthcare Industry Training and Education (HITE) program , the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) wanted to go above and beyond traditional marketing efforts such as flyers and handouts. To better reach a younger, more modern audience, they took their outreach online, and used social media to spread the word about their HPOG program.

Southwestern Connecticut’s The WorkPlace serves as its Workforce Development Board, helping job seekers prepare for careers and strengthening the workforce for employers. Their Health CareeRx Academy program focuses specifically on preparing participants for careers in the healthcare field.