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By Elexus Robinson, Research Associate
HEI is proud to spotlight the work of an innovative, multi-sector client, for whom we serve as an evaluation partner: the Connecticut Statewide Healthcare Industry Pathways Project (CT SHIP). Norwalk Community College, on behalf of a consortium of five Connecticut community colleges, the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) System Office, major healthcare systems and employers, Connecticut’s public workforce system, and other partners were granted $3.4 million from the Department of Labor (DOL) for the establishment of CT SHIP. This multi-year initiative is designed to build an integrated, flexible career pathway system driven by industry sector partnerships and featuring work-based learning and accelerated training into healthcare career programs.
The purpose of this multi-sector partnership is to:
- Strengthen the capacity of the consortium colleges to offer demand-driven, accelerated training in three in-demand healthcare career pathways;
- Expand the colleges’ virtual instructional delivery capabilities;
- Respond to the employment and training needs created by the COVID-19 crisis;
- Build on regional healthcare sector partnerships; and
- Increase alignment with Connecticut’s public workforce system.
CT SHIP is only two years into its four-year grant and has already realized promising progress, including the following:
- 1,000 Students enrolled.
- 221 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training recipients enrolled.
- 125 Individual Training Accounts recipients enrolled.
- 74 Students enrolled in work-based learning opportunities.
- 2 New community partners that will lead to more coordinated and effective use of public resources for underserved students.
- 1 New employer partner that will commit to hiring highly qualified community college students.
- 1 New recruitment video created to attract qualified candidates and increase engagement and interest in Connecticut’s community colleges’ healthcare programs.
- 1 New interactive video created to provide a visual and interactive experience for candidates to gain the skills and knowledge required for Connecticut healthcare programs.
The potential impact of CT SHIP goes beyond promising metrics and perhaps most importantly is illustrated by the individual stories of students who are able to gain employable skills. A program lead for one of the consortium colleges shared the following example:
“We have this one student–she was unbelievable. She was in a shelter and she managed to get rides here every single day.” While in the Certified Nursing program, this student made a connection through her work at a partner nursing home with an oncology provider. Because she made this connection, “[when] she passed her certification exam, [she] was immediately offered a job. That was a life changer for her.”
This student’s example of perseverance echoes the program lead’s statement that opportunities like these are twofold: they provide employers with eligible, skilled, and trained workers and they provide students with life-changing experiences. CT SHIP is rooted in centralizing its healthcare sector into a multi-sector partnership that seeks to help students and workers gain industry-recognized credentials that will transform the future postsecondary credential attainment for this region.
The total cost of CT Statewide Healthcare Industry Pathway project (CT SHIP) is $6.9M. $3.4M (49%) is funded through a U.S. Department of Labor – Employment and Training Administration grant and another $3.5M (51%) is committed through non-federal state and local resources.