April 13, 2007

Jumpstarting careers with Partners in Career and Workforce Development

In 2003, Patricia Myers was unemployed and applying for food stamps at an agency in Boston. As luck would have it, while there she noticed a flier publicizing a free, five-week job-training program with Partners HealthCare. The decision to apply to the Partners in Career and Workforce Development's (PCWD) Pre-Employment Program changed her life.

Designed to provide low-income Boston residents with entry-level employment at one of three Partners hospitals, the Pre-Employment Program offers comprehensive job training, including classroom instruction and a hospital internship in a clerical or support staff position. PCWD provides case management, career coaching and job placement assistance and support after successful completion of the program.

MGH managers and supervisors have the opportunity to play an important part in the program by serving as "workforce development champions." In this role, managers work with PCWD to provide full-time, unpaid, two-week internships for students who are exploring work areas of interest.

Carlene Krey of the OR has been a workforce development champion since the program's inception in December 2003. "Managers who participate in the Pre-Employment Program work collaboratively with PCWD and receive a lot of support from Partners," she says. "Not only do we have the opportunity to serve the community by working with the students, but we also have the chance to see prospective employees in the workplace before making a hiring decision. All of the interns already have had CORI background checks and have met basic work requirements. The students work with a career coach so that if there are any issues that come up even after they are hired, they can receive whatever support they may need in order to fulfill their work requirements."

Impressed by Myers' work ethic and skills, Krey offered her a position as a sterile processing technician shortly after she completed the program. "The PCWD program and the internship were wonderful experiences," Myers says. "Because I had the chance to work in the OR during the internship, I was confident that I wanted to jumpstart my career at the MGH. Carlene and the staff at PCWD have helped me in so many wonderful ways — by arranging transportation and housing and by offering a career coach. It's truly been a life-changing experience."

Currently, more than 40 MGH managers serve as workforce development champions, and many MGH departments have hired PCWD graduates. "We encourage all managers and supervisors to consider becoming involved in the program," says Cynthia Briggs, PCWD director. "We recognize them for their important role in workforce development and are proud of the careers that they help to build."                    From left, Myers, Briggs and Krey

Carlyene Prince-Erickson is the director of the MGH Employee Education and Leadership Development Program. Working closely with Briggs, she has created a robust career and workforce development program at the hospital. "At the MGH, 67 percent of the hospital's PCWD graduates are placed in departments such as the OR, Radiology and the MGH Registration and Referral Center. In addition, we have an 82 percent 90-day retention rate and a one-year retention rate of 70 percent. It's a great resource for individuals to land their first jobs in the health care field."

For more information about becoming a workforce development champion, contact Dena Lerra at dlerra@partners.org or (617) 585-2811.