Of Pathways and Pipelines:Health Careers and Young

Workers

Recovering America’s YouthSUMMIT

DallasNovember, 2009

Erik Payne ButlerHuman Investment Institute LLC/ TATC Consulting

Universal Themes in Workforce Development

• Supply and Demand Dynamics

-- employers need workers

-- people need skills

-- communities/labor markets need the match to work

• Equity, access and cost – skills, competencies and systems

• Mutual dissatisfaction, no matter the economy

• The BIG Questions about 25 year-olds

The three big questions for 25 year-olds

• CAN YOU READ?

• DID YOU GRADUATE?

• HAVE YOU WORKED?

The three big (Workforce) questions for firms and sectors?

• Can you grow (modernize) with existing skill profiles?

• Do you have a pipeline of skilled workers?

• How and when will your skill needs change over time?

The Case of healthcare: labor demand in health and allied occupations

• More than 11 million employed; (e.g.,TX: 780000; MS: 105,000; CO:160,000; Calif: 1,030,000

• Growing “much faster than average” (O’Net) in 36 of 52 categories, “slower than average” in only 1.

• Significant areas of unserved need

-- 35 million physical

-- 57 million mental health -- 31 million dental

• Health care coverage will expand the industry, creating new jobs

The Case of Healthcare: trends

• Growing demand for entry level and technically-trained workers

• Poorly-defined pipeline/ well-defined entry criteria (often regulated)

• Varied employment at low skill levels, for certain classes of institution

• Technology invading most classifications (and creating new ones)

• Larger employers well-located and generally progressive

Skills gap analysis

׀

Recruit youth and

jobs

׀

Assessment and

Planning

׀

Case mgr and plan

Unemployed

Under Employed

HS Student

Voc-tech Student

Enrolled in college

Pathways to Health Careers

Supply-demand thinking

Basic skills – Literacy, CNA

Technical skills(e.g., LPN, surg./ med,

radiology)

Soft skills/ employability

Practicum(WE, Internships, etc.)

Mentoring, case mgt.,Coaching

DELIVERY PARTNERSCommunity collegeVocational SchoolPrivate Provider

Hospital HR dept.Youth Center

CBO

Assessment and

Certification

׀

Guided job/training

search

׀

Placementin job or training

׀

30/60/90Day follow-up

׀

Retention support

Hospital

Clinic

Assisted living

Tech/ bus. Services

Comm college, et. al.