New Healthcare Job Training Program Seeks Enrollees

November 24, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 24, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Julie Rabinowitz, 207-621-5009

Qualified Candidates will receive training at no-cost to themselves and be guaranteed a job interview

AUGUSTA?The Maine Department of Labor and Maine?s Adult Education program are launching a new job-training initiative targeted to people who have been out of work for six months or longer.

?The first phase of this training will launch in the Lewiston-Auburn area and targets people interested in careers in healthcare,? said Governor Paul R. LePage. ?This program helps our long-term unemployed get back to work with industry-specific skills in growing industries. It?s a gateway to a new career with good wages.?

The CareerCenter, in partnership with Lewiston Adult Education, St. Mary?s Health System and other providers is offering a Ready2Work course combined with Certified Nursing Assistant training.

Participants will receive a Ready2Work/Certified Nursing Assistant Certificate recognized by St. Mary?s Health System and other health care facilities. Qualified participants who complete the training will be guaranteed a job interview. Participants can start earning wages during the course.

The first Ready2Work/CNA class will start on Jan. 5, 2015. To learn more about the program, contact the Lewiston CareerCenter at 207-753-9001 or 800-741-2991. TTY users call Maine Relay 711.

All job seekers interested in participating must first pass a background check, a physical exam verifying their ability to perform essential job functions and a drug screening. This will assure that minimum requirements of participating employers are met before investing service dollars to support the individual?s enrollment in the initial training.

The Ready2Work (R2W): Careers in Health Care Setting program aims to develop a skilled ?pipeline? to address the projected growth and anticipated replacement needs of Maine?s healthcare workforce using a regional, sector-partnership model.

The first level of training will focus on development of essential ?soft skills? and other core topics identified by participating employers. For the healthcare sector, these skills include the requirements for confidentiality in healthcare, generational differences, basic computer skills, critical reading in science and technology, CPR, hand hygiene, managing stress, career exploration, job shadowing, workplace safety and customer service. Students who complete the Phase I training will earn an employer-recognized readiness certificate.

Successful trainees will have options of then choosing a specific occupational path; will be assessed for their ?fit? to that occupation; and (if appropriate) continuing training (Phase II) through on-the-job training, customized training, apprenticeship and other training mechanisms until they are prepared for placement. Graduates will be guaranteed an interview by the host hospital when they apply for a job, assuming they meet the minimum entrance criteria for the job.

This program is a collaboration between the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, the Central Western Workforce Investment Board,-Western Maine Community Action Program, the Department of Health and Human Services and St. Mary?s Health System. Kennebec Valley Community College also provided assistance in the initial design of the program.

The Department of Labor?s Bureau of Employment Services is funding these trainings through the $4.85 million Job Driven National Emergency Grant funding it received in July 2014.

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