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In December of 2003, Partners was awarded a $1 million, three-year grant by SkillWorks, a consortium of private and public funders led by
The Boston Foundation. With this funding, and a comparable Partners investment, Partners in Career and Workforce Development (PCWD)
was formed. PCWD’s three goals are:
- To support the career development of incumbent employees
- To provide job opportunities to low income community residents
- To respond to the workforce needs of the Partners network
In FY2007, when Skillworks ended, Partners began a commitment to provide its own funds to continue this work. PCWD’s components include:
- A pre-employment program for community residents
(the average
annual starting salary for graduates of the
pre-employment program is $28,000 with full benefits)
- Education and skills training opportunities for incumbent workers
- Career coaching for program participants
- Engagement of more than 200 managers and supervisors as Workforce Development Champions
- New educational programs developed in collaboration with community colleges
- Development of a comprehensive workforce development website
During the three years of its operation, the program helped nearly 600 low income Boston residents enter the health care field or take steps to advance their health care career at three Partners hospitals – Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
In 2007, PCWD became totally funded by Partners. The program continues to sponsor the pre-employment program (still known as PCWD) for low income, unemployed Boston residents looking to enter health care jobs. In addition, Partners provides support for
the allied health professional program, maintains the system wide workforce development website, and provides assistance to and collaborates with other workforce development projects within Partners and at the Partners hospitals.
In October 2007, Partners and its Boston hospitals received a $482,000 grant from The Boston Foundation to support incumbent workers interested in becoming allied health professionals, including radiology technologists, respiratory therapists, medical coders and other allied health professions. The grant incorporates many of the critical success factors identified through PCWD. It includes a wide range of on-line tutoring programs, as well as, an online course to certify radiology technologists in more advanced radiology modalities. Goals and a series of measurable outcomes underlay the grant. The six-year initiative will both address Partners hospitals’ chronic shortages of allied health workers and provide career advancement opportunities for employees.
Partners in Career and Workforce Development (PCWD) website
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