{"id":13661,"date":"2016-01-28T12:16:53","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T17:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/?p=13661"},"modified":"2016-01-28T12:16:53","modified_gmt":"2016-01-28T17:16:53","slug":"futuremakers-partnership-fast-tracks-cna-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/2016\/01\/28\/futuremakers-partnership-fast-tracks-cna-careers\/","title":{"rendered":"FutureMakers partnership fast tracks CNA careers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jennifer<\/a>

Jennifer Welling<\/p><\/div>\n

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2016) \u2013 Jennifer Welling\u2019s children were listening when she advocated the importance of a post-secondary education. One is attending college, the second, a high schooler, is also on a similar track.<\/p>\n

At 44, it\u2019s now Welling\u2019s turn. Her children insisted she attend Tuesday evening\u2019s information and qualification session at CareerSource in Fort Myers to learn more about becoming a certified nursing assistant (CNA), and available tuition and scholarship assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as I\u2019ve pushed my children to get an education, I\u2019ve put it off for me,\u201d she said. \u201cNow my kids are pushing it back on me. It\u2019s my time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welling, who works in the restaurant industry, was one of nearly 60 men and women participating in the recruitment program, a collaboration between Lee Memorial Health System, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, CareerSource Southwest Florida, and Fort Myers and Cape Coral technical colleges, all partners in the FutureMakers Coalition.<\/p>\n

The groups are offering tuition assistance, scholarship opportunities and are pushing for applicants for February classes at the schools. Lee Memorial hopes to hire as many CNAs as possible, and the schools hope to get students trained and working in their field at Lee Memorial or other medical facilities in Lee County.<\/p>\n

The CNA certification programs are designed to get students from the classroom to work in as early as six weeks. In addition to the hospital\u2019s benefits package, CNAs at Lee Memorial have the opportunity to transfer after six months and receive tuition assistance toward associate, bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees as well as specialized certification training.<\/p>\n

\u201cA CNA is a stepping stone to becoming a registered nurse and having a career in health care,\u201d Michelle Zech, Lee Memorial\u2019s human resources business partner, told the group. \u201cIt gets your foot in the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

By attending the event, participants, ages 18 to older than 50, became \u201cFutureMakers,\u201d taking the first step toward post-secondary education and the Coalition\u2019s goal of increasing the number of Southwest Florida residents with college degrees or industry certifications. Lee Memorial, CareerSource and the two technical colleges are partners in the FutureMakers Coalition, a five-county regional collaboration involving education, government, business, nonprofit and citizen stakeholders, and advocates.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I didn\u2019t know what to expect,\u201d Zech said afterward. \u201cI thought maybe five or 10 people might show up. It was a phenomenal turnout, and we\u2019re pleased with the candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group included stay-at-home mothers, restaurant employees, a school bus driver, an Army veteran and CareerSource clients. Some like Katira Davis, 22, of Fort Myers, are already working in entry-level health care positions.<\/p>\n

Davis is a medical technician assistant at a center for the disabled. She\u2019d hoped to land a higher-paying job after graduating from technical college but said many employers wanted six years of experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make just enough to live on and couldn\u2019t afford tuition to become a CNA,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s no advancement where I am, and I want to keep moving up in the medical field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Human resource employees from Lee Memorial conducted brief interviews with applicants to determine their ambition, qualifications and eligibility for tuition and scholarship assistance. Zech said the majority of attendees would be considered.<\/p>\n

The event was a prime example of groups working together to overcome challenges and reach shared goals according to Tessa LeSage, director of social innovation and sustainability for the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, the backbone organization for the FutureMakers Coalition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis collaborative effort let us reach out to the unemployed and underemployed and provide them with information and financial assistance toward a better-paying job,\u201d she said. \u201cBy bringing these organizations together in one program, we were able to eliminate any duplication of services, maximize resources and fill classroom vacancies that will lead to more certifications. Ultimately, it helps meet workforce needs of local employers and expands employment opportunities to Southwest Florida residents through education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Formed in 2015 around existing regional collaborations, the FutureMakers Coalition\u2019s goal is to transform the workforce by increasing the number of college degrees and post-secondary certifications from 27 percent to 40 percent by 2025 throughout Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties. The Coalition is committed to creating a cradle-to-career pathway to ensure success for traditional students and adult learners like Michelle Macom who attended Tuesday\u2019s program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably silly someone my age is going back to school again,\u201d said Macom, a 47-year-old mother of nine and recent divorcee. \u201cI didn\u2019t have time to have a steady job.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fort Myers woman had started training as a medical assistant more than a decade ago and even made the dean\u2019s list when she had to drop out to care for her ailing father-in-law.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny financial help I could get would be phenomenal because I don\u2019t want to start my new life in debt,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Jovani<\/a>

Jovani Mendez<\/p><\/div>\n

Jovani Mendez, 18, recently graduated from East Lee County High School, and with both parents unemployed, he couldn\u2019t afford post-secondary education. He wants to become a nurse practitioner and hopes to receive CNA tuition assistance to begin his medical career.<\/p>\n

CNAs at Lee Memorial work just three days a week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would help me get a quick job while I study and provide for my family,\u201d Mendez said. \u201cIt will give me money for gas. I\u2019d be so happy to get a job. I just graduated from high school, and everyone wants experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crystal Mendoza, a 32-year-old Lehigh resident, calls herself \u201cyoung and dumb\u201d for not taking advantage of an academic scholarship to Florida SouthWestern State College after graduating from Cypress Lake High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have been the first generation in my family to have a college degree,\u201d she said. \u201cSince then, there have been barriers standing in my way. I\u2019m a single mother and have been dealing with medical issues since I was 21.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nursing, she said, has been a long-time passion and was solidified during regular hospital visits for dialysis and eventually a kidney transplant on Dec. 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing sick I wasn\u2019t able to go to school to become a nurse,\u201d she said. \u201cI worked but eventually had to stop because of my illness. I want to be an inspiration to my daughter and show her you can follow your dreams if you keep pushing through. I want to be a registered nurse and help other people. I\u2019d love to work in the transplant unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dorine<\/a>

Dorine Murph<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Dorine<\/a><\/p>\n

At 25, Dorine Murph has held a variety of jobs, working in security, as a manager of a gas station and currently as a chef in a restaurant. \u201cI make good money, but it\u2019s not a long-term career,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Sierra Burton, 29, an eight-year Army veteran who specialized in supply logistics, sees completion of CNA requirements as a stepping stone to a career in health care.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom\u2019s a nurse, and my brother is a nurse practitioner,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been really difficult to find a job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welling also hopes to work her way up from CNA certification.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to go all the way in health care,\u201d she said. \u201cMy long-term goal is to work in hospice. My mother and other family members had cancer, and I took care of them. This is the key to getting my foot in the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on how to get the tuition assistance to become a CNA, contact CareerSource at 239-931-8200 or email\u00a0afurlow@careersourcesouthwestflorida.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The FutureMakers Coalition is one of Lumina Foundation\u2019s 75 national Community Partners in Attainment. Residents are encouraged to join and support this community-changing initiative. For more information, visit\u00a0www.FutureMakersCoalition.com<\/a>, call 239-274-5900 or email Tessa LeSage at\u00a0TLeSage@floridacommunity.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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