The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board has established Generation Go! Career Pathways, a countywide program providing work-based learning opportunities to high school students. A key component of its work is ensuring that the county’s youth are ready to enter the workforce with the skills needed to compete today and for the future.
Piloted by Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC), 14 students from San Bernardino’s Cajon High School completed 120 hours of clinical practice. The students were introduced to a variety of career opportunities in the medical field while further propelling them along a valuable career path for college or technical training.
“This is just the beginning, as we plan to expand this program across the county and across a number of industry sectors,” said Tony Myrell, chairman, San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board. “Through Generation Go! And Career Pathways we are teaming education and business to proactively develop a workforce that is prepared for high-demand and high-opportunity careers.”
The high school seniors from the ARMC pilot program will now be able to take a state test to gain medical assistant certificates that make them eligible for entry-level work in medical offices and hospitals.
“When people think of healthcare careers they often think of nurses and doctors, but this pilot program exposes high school students to the array of career options in medicine. These are well paying jobs with significant upward mobility,” said Hospital Director William Gilbert. “It’s rewarding for us to be part of this program to not only educate, but to also help to retain our county’s best and brightest young people.”
According to the 2017 Inland Empire Regional Collaborative - Health Industry Workforce Report, the healthcare industry represents over 135,000 currently employed workers in the Inland Empire. These positions are expected to grow by about 20 percent or 26,700 new positions in the next five years. Annually, there will be over 17,900 openings due to growth and replacement needs. A large portion of these job openings, 30 percent, will be for occupations requiring postsecondary non-degree awards, such as certificates, followed by those requiring no formal education, 28 percent, and those that require bachelor’s degree, 17 percent.
The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board Generation Go! initiative is a countywide effort to prepare the County’s workforce for future careers as well as provide career pathways in high school that lead to college and vocational training. The County is currently seeking businesses that are willing to provide work-based learning experiences as part of a high school curriculum. Targeted industries include: utilities/energy, logistics/transportation, construction/engineering, automotive, manufacturing and culinary among others.