Health Careers Awareness Week

Don't miss the forum, "Workforce Development & the Healthcare Industry" on November 14, 2005 at Alumni Hall. The event will kick off the regional events that are being planned for Pennsylvania Health Careers Awareness Week. This policy-focused forum will feature regional and state experts on health workforce planning and HR, career education, incumbent worker initiatives and public policy. To request an invitation, please email Vanessa Lund.

Long Time, No Blog

The student leaders pictured here are taking our career literacy materials, repackaging them for younger peers and helping other kids begin their own career exploration adventure. In October alone, we trained more than 50 of these Student Ambassadors. They're enthusiastic, creative and energizing. It's been an awesome fall here at HCPI!

Apprenticeships -- The Real Reality Show

CS Monitor reports that on-the-job-training is making a comeback, with 63,000 completing apprenticeship programs this year - up 68 percent from 2000. Read more...

Career Exploration Resources

There are two brilliant new additions to the career exploration toolkit. Both resources are based in Southwest PA -- offering relevant local information about career exploration. The Future is Mine is a project of the Mon Valley Education Consortium. Their website is serving as a very practical resource for schools participating in yearlong career education activities. Many of the pages are designed to give students the chance to ask questions. It will be interesting to watch those message boards come to life! Also, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation's Health Careers Futures site has gone live. Like MVEC's site, this also offers outstanding resources for students, teachers and parents. I'm a big fan of their health careers toolkit -- the toolkit provides testimonials from people in health careers, maps of career pathways and practical information about how to pursue relevant education and training to meet one's career goals.

Busy Season

Wow! Sending out the new HCPI brochure sure did generate a lot of interest on behalf of schools. We have 40 presentations coming up in the next 2 months. Some highlights: Career Ambassador training at West Allegheny High School, Parent Open House at Blue Knob Elementary School, and a teacher training in collaboration with PHEAA. We've also had some media attention. Last week, I had the pleasure of being on PCNC's Night Talk. (I believe the show airs 9/16 at 8pm, 9/17 at 2am and 9/19 at 5pm.) The PCNC show focused on Hurricane Katrina. It was a great opportunity to discuss our region's disaster preparedness. You have to wonder, if we were faced with a major disaster, could our resource-strained healthcare workforce meet the challenge? Next week (9/25), a segment we taped for Teens On Q will finally air. This segment focuses on opportunities in IT. Let's hope these are all signs that our region is becoming more career literate.

Katrina's Lesson in Globalization

The devastation of Hurricane Katrina is calling some to question big business' just-in-time philosophy. Being "highly specialized" reduces redundancies, but it also makes us more vunerable. Hear more on Marketplace's online report.

Wilkinsburg Kiwannis Share Passion for Investing in Our Region's Workforce

Thanks to the Wilkinsburg Kiwannis for giving HCPI the opportunity to share the "Talent Trapeze" presentation this afternoon. The audience asked wonderful questions and had some exciting ideas for follow up activities. We're particularly excited about the support of the Wilkinsburg school administrators who were in attendance. It's through these generous ideas and support that HCPI is able to improve workforce development in Southwest PA. We look forward to the start of a new school year and many more presentations about career-exploration opportunities in our region.

In the UK, Healthcare Jobs are Dreamy

A survey released by Great Britian's Skills Council lists the top "dream jobs" of both kids and adults. Interestingly, medical professions such as physician and nurse were more popular than entertainment or sports jobs. (And this comes from a country with lower wages for medical professions!)

 TOP 10 DREAM JOBS FOR KIDS        TOP 10 DREAM JOBS FOR ADULTS
 1) Doctor/Nurse                   1) Writer
 2) Vet                            2) Teacher
 3) Footballer                     3) Landscape Gardener
 4) Teacher                        4) Paramedic
 5) Actor/Movie Star               5) Photographer
 6) Writer                         6) Police Officer
 7) Dancer/Ballerina               7) Physiotherapist
 8) Pilot                          8) Movie Director
 9) Pop Star                       9) Restaurant Owner
 10) Astronaut                    10) Musician

Learn more . . .

High Flying Workforce

Despite record fuel prices, one formerly struggling airline has finally turned a profit -- American Airlines is finally in the black. How? Remember those funny stories about getting rid of pillows on certain flights and eliminating olives from the salads? American turned minor cost reductions into major savings. But the real story is that the ideas were products of the company's human capital -- the existing workforce. Christian Science Monitor reports that two American Airlines mechanics built "Thumping Ralph" --a drill-bit sharpener made from discarded household machinery that allows them to get more use out of each bit-- saving the airline as much as $300,000 a year. The airline also benefited from a group of pilots who figured out that they could save fuel costs by using only one engine to taxi. What might happen if more managers listened to the ideas of their workforce? Read more...

HR Hatred

The latest issue of Fast Company really caught my attention -- "Why We Hate HR." Obviously, a provocative title. I really like the picture, too. But reach beyond the visual and read the article -- it's worth it. Here's a snip: "HR is the corporate function with the greatest potential -- the key driver, in theory, of business performance -- and also the one that most consistently underdelivers. And I am here to find out why." Read more...