Media Contact: Ayanna Young
850-201-8470
ayanna.young@tcc.fl.edu
TCC Invests $500,000 in Workforce Connections Initiative to Bridge the Gap Between Local Worker Shortage and Employers
August 18, 2021
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– “We’re hiring! Sign-on bonus available” These are the messages seen across the region regardless of the industry and if the predictions are right, this will continue for some time.
As a result, Tallahassee Community College is launching the TCC2WORK Workforce Connections Initiative with an initial investment of $500,000. TCC President, Jim Murdaugh, has doubled down on the College’s commitment to investing in workforce development training. The TCC2WORK Workforce Connections Initiative will focus on in-demand industries with critical workforce shortages.
The first industry targeted through the initiative is healthcare. Currently, local healthcare employers have identified both immediate hiring needs as well as longer-term workforce needs that will extend over the next 12 months.
The first occupation that will be targeted for rapid retraining is medical assistant which has an immediate need across the local healthcare community. According to a recent survey of healthcare employers conducted by the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, there is an immediate need of 139 medical assistant positions. This need will nearly double over the next 12 months with another 112 job vacancies.
The Clinical Medical Assistant program (150-hours) will teach foundational knowledge and basic science in medical terminology, basic pharmacology and nutrition, and anatomy and physiology, clinical patient care in electrocardiography, phlebotomy, parenteral administration, point of care testing, assessment & management skills of the patient, and administrative tasks as it applies to a clinical medical assistant. The attainment of these skills will allow students to obtain an internship in the clinical setting with direct patient care experience where they will intern as a clinical medical assistant. Students will be eligible to sit for the national certification exam in Clinical Medical Assisting upon completion of the program and gain employment as a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant.
The TCC2WORK Workforce Connection initiative will include major partnerships with Florida Health Science Consulting, Florida State University and the healthcare community. Note, additional partners will be added as momentum from the initiative increases and extends into other industries.
“We are excited to partner with TCC’s Division of Workforce Development to launch Workforce Connections,” said Colette Washington, CEO of Florida Health Sciences Consulting. “With the need for skilled healthcare workers increasing each day we must work together to meet this need.”
The initiative will provide people who are already in the healthcare community an opportunity for advancement as well as open doors for those seeking to enter to the healthcare industry in as little as three months with a nationally recognized industry credential. The initiative also creates an important workforce bridge between local employers, job seekers and students currently attending our universities. Specifically, TCC will target local unemployed and underemployed individuals to receive this training. Additionally, the initiative with the support of Florida State University – College of Medicine outreach program, will assist FSU pre-med and pre-health students who are currently enrolled in a healthcare discipline and seeking to enter the healthcare arena to receive this short-term training that will accelerate their entry into the healthcare industry while they work toward their degree. This innovative partnership creates an available workforce that had previously not been tapped into starting with freshman and extending through their graduate programs. This partnership will also set the stage for collaborations with other universities to engage their student populations in meeting critical community workforce needs and at the same time retain students locally after graduation.
“FSU College of Medicine outreach office, within the division of Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences, is so excited to partner with the TCC’s Workforce Connections Initiative,” said Thesla Berne-Anderson, SSTRIDE/Executive Director of Undergraduate Outreach and Precollege Programs. “This opportunity will provide clinical skills training and jobs for our premedical/pre-health students to better prepare for health professional careers and work within various clinical settings in the Tallahassee community. What a fantastic and unique opportunity for all!”
Individuals interested in the training can register in one of the upcoming classes listed below. Additionally, individuals who require assistance with covering the cost of the training can apply for a Workforce Connections scholarship by contact 1-833-TCC-JOBS or workforce@tcc.fl.edu.
“This initiative accomplishes two major goals of TCC and that is to serve as the partner of choice by linking education, employers and the community together for a common goal,” said Kimberly A. Moore, VP for Workforce Innovation &TCC2WORK. “Secondly, to use innovative approaches to create workforce training that leads to the employment of local residents and provides a skilled workforce for local employers.”
Workforce Connect will also assist area healthcare employers interested in making this training available to their current workforce. TCC has created a Workforce Connection employer scholarship that will match the employer investment by up to 50% in those situations where the trained employee receives a wage increase or promotion.
Employers who would like to participate in the Workforce Connections initiative can call 1-833-TCC-JOBS or email workforce@tcc.fl.edu.
For more information, visit http://tcc2work.com/connections.
Class Schedule
Sept. 4 – Oct. 2: FSU Pre-Med and Pre-Health Students, Sat., 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (40 hours)
Sept. 7 – 20: Public, M-F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (80 hours)
Oct. 4 – 29: FSU Pre-Med and Pre-Health Students, T/Th, 5:30 – 9:30 p.m., Oct. 9, Sat, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (40 hours)
Oct. 4 – 29: Public, M-F, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (80 hours)
Oct. 4 – 29: Public, M-F, 1:30 – 5:30 p.m. (80 hours)
Nov. 1 – 22: FSU Pre-Med and Pre-Health Students, M/W/F, 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. (40 hours)
Nov. 1 – 22: Public, M-F, 5:30 – 9:30 p.m., Nov. 6 and Nov 13, Sat. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (80 hours)
Nov. 29 – Dec. 20, Public, M-F 5:30 – 9:30pm, Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Dec. 4 & 11
Dec. 13 – 17: FSU Pre-Med and Pre-Health Students, M-F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (40 hours)
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