Funding will provide training for health-care field
Local students thinking about going into the health-care field won’t have to look far for training programs and assistance with college expenses.
Schenectady County Community College President Quintin Bullock announced Monday, Oct. 4, that the college is receiving an $11.2 million grant from the United State Department of Health and Human Services, which is the largest single grant the college’s history. The funding will allow the college establish a variety of training programs allowing students to become certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, emergency medical technicians and earn degrees in health information technology. Currently the college only has a program to become a CNA, which was started during the spring semester.
Today’s announcement will help us further realize our mission, as well as partially reinvent Schenectady County Community College and stimulate economic development in the Capital Region, said Bullock. `We are enthusiastic about the work that we do because we want to be responsive to the community. We are committed to our open access mission and to serve the underserved and economically disadvantaged.`
SCCC is one of four institutions in the state to receive a grant from HHS and there were 32 grants awarded nationwide through the Affordable Care Act totaling $320 million.
`This grant means high-quality jobs for our community and real careers for students who enter these programs,` said Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna, chairwoman of the Schenectady County Legislature. `This is a big win. We are the only community college in the state of New York to have achieve this award. It is a big boost for our efforts to help create new jobs and new opportunities in Schenectady County.
Programs established by the grant are planned to be offered in January 2011, with a goal of serving 600 participants annually. Another important aspect of the grant is the support offered to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients and low-income individuals with income up to 200 percent of the poverty line, said Bullock.
`Right now the health-care field is probably the most recession-proof industry that we have going for us,` said Colleen Gardner, commissioner for the New York State Department of Labor. `In this current recession, as we are recovering, there is still, on average, only one job opening for every five people looking for work, but if you are in the health-care field, there is actually one job opening for every one and a half workers looking for a job.`
As baby boomers leave the workforce, demand will increase for the health-care field, said Gardner. With the health care workforce expanding, the college can fill local jobs with local residents in the Capital District.
`SCCC has their hands on the pulse of the local economy,` said Gardner. `They know what employers are looking for, and they make sure their training programs address the needs of our future workers.`
James Connelly, president and CEO of Ellis Hospital, welcomed the news of the grant and the increase it will bring to the local health-care workforce. The hospital will also be partnering with college to provide clinical training sites.
`This is going to provide opportunities to take those folks, once they’re in the health-care field, and continue to enhance their skills, to sharpen their skills, to increase their knowledge,` said Connelly. `It is a great day for those seeking economic opportunity because those who go through this training and these educational programs supported by this grant will find jobs waiting for them when they graduate and career ladders in health care if they choose to pursue them.`
The grant will also enable SCCC to form a partnership with Schenectady County Community Action Program and Albany Community Action Program to place students into the health-care field locally. Both programs have experience providing intensive support services to low-income individuals, said Bullock.
A previous graduate from the CNA program, Sarah Lane, spoke about her experience in the program and how it was more difficult than she expected, but she said she was able to persevere and reach her goal.
`Today I can say thanks to the CNA program and the wonderful people surrounding it, now I know what I want to be,` said Lane. `I am closer to my career goal they helped me believe in myself and my ability.“
