Foundation to participate in “Pathways to Work”

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions announced in January that it was awarding $100,000 to “Pathways to Work,” a partnership of employers, funders and training providers led by the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas to advance job quality strategies in the healthcare industry.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council (DFWHC) Foundation is expected to support “Pathways to Work” to assist Methodist Health System, Parkland Health & Hospital System and UT Southwestern Medical Center to improve job retention, reduce turnover and vacancies and support career advancement of Patient Care Technicians (PCTs).

The grants, made possible through The Prudential Foundation, will enable local employers to incorporate new skill development strategies to improve their competitiveness and result in better jobs for workers. Pathways to Work was chosen from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions network of more than 30 communities to lead this innovative program.

The grant supports the efforts of Pathways to Work to create solutions for moving entry-level workers into good middle-skill jobs and ensure employers have a pipeline of skilled employees. Job training and placement are key components of United Way’s community goal to move 250,000 people out of poverty permanently.

The National Fund’s Job Quality Initiative is focused on expanding the number of good jobs for American workers by promoting business practices and community investments that support workers and businesses. National Fund collaboratives will partner with companies to implement new hiring and training strategies that enhance growth while improving conditions for workers such as learning new skills, higher wages, better benefits, improved supervision, incentive bonuses and advancement opportunities.

The DFWHC Foundation will work with Methodist, Parkland and UT Southwestern by implementing three core strategies to include:

• Facilitate peer support, mentoring and employee feedback loops to help PCTs feel more engaged with co-workers, supervisors and the healthcare institution;

• Develop career maps and strategic communication tools on advancement opportunities available to PCTs to help these workers see that the position is an important first step in a long and rewarding healthcare career that may include a variety of positions not exclusively tied to nursing;

• Launch public recognition programs to show the importance of PCTs on the patient care team to empower frontline supervisors and patients to recognize excellent care of PCTs in ways that elevate the position in the broader hospital/health systems.

Lata Reddy, president of The Prudential Foundation, discussed why Prudential has chosen to partner with the National Fund saying, “To help people build a strong financial future, we strive to invest in both local communities committed to supporting workers and businesses but also building an infrastructure that can accelerate the dissemination of successful efforts. The National Fund provides an avenue for us to deepen and expand our impact, create more workforce programs that meet industry needs and to seed innovative practices that generate good jobs.”

For information, please contact Sally Williams, director of the DFWHC Foundation’s Workforce Center, at workforce@dfwhcfoundation.org.