FastPath and Nationwide Children's Hospital-Career Coach Professional Development Workshop March 5, 2015-MP3 Audio

FastPath is a new initiative by Columbus State Community College (OH) funded by the City of Columbus, Ohio in July 2014. The program is designed to identify, recruit, and connect enemployed and underemployed adults with technical and employability training that prepares them for in-demand jobs. Participants earn an industry recognized credential or certification that supports career and educational advancement. Columbus State Community College provides recruitment, assessment, skills training, support services, job placement, job coaching, and other services. Nationwide Children's Hospital has served as the lead employer partner, collaborating on entry-level job identification, curriculum development, support for mock interviews, work-around on an automated application process, concrete feedback to interviewees, and job placement. FastPath offers certifications in patient care (STNA), food services (ServSafe), and building services (OSHA-10.) A logistics track will be introduced soon. The presenters discussed the process used to connect with employers and recruit students into the program, how they overcame obstacles, and resources they used in their programs. Keith Wollenberg, career facilitator for FastPath, Columbus State Community College, and Nancy Case, executive director for community and civic engagement, Columbus State Community College, presented this information to career coaches working on the Consortium for Healthcare Education Online project at the CHEO Career Coaches Professional Development Workshop - Hitting the Mark: Employer & Workforce Engagement, Student Recruitment, and Job Placement on March 5, 2015. The event was hosted by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and was held at its SHEPC Learning Center in Boulder, CO. The CHEO project is funded by a U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant. See http://www.wiche.edu/nanslo/CHEO-career-coach-professional-development for more information about this workshop.