A Letter from the Chairman…

Happy New Year All!

The beginning of the year brings with it a sense of opportunity and the promise of a future to fulfill. 2013 is certainly that for the Regional Skills Partnership. We begin this year with our first ever year-long series, examining the trend of increasing educational requirements for allied health occupations. Often referred to as "degree creep", the Partnership will examine this trend from all angles, discussing the impact on the current and potential workforce, employers, patient care and ultimately the occupations themselves. Our first meeting of the year, on January 24th, provided an overview of the trend.

This special program is one of several major accomplishments of 2012, a very formative year for the Partnership. We have accomplished a great deal in the past year, our first full year of operation since we completed the grant that launched us. Just to remind us all, here are the highlights of our accomplishments over the past year. The Partnership completed its Anesthesia Technician Career Path pilot project with the graduation of the first class from this program. Previously, an entry-level position with few career advancement opportunities, the Anesthesia Technician will now be able to earn a certification that increases skills and wages. This program is a first for North Carolina, and the Partnership has given the curriculum to the State Community College Continuing Education Division to be distributed statewide. Read More

Placing a Priority on Expanding North Carolina's Allied Health Workforce

Developing public policies that will expand North Carolina's allied health workforce is a key focus of the Institute of Emerging Issues (IEI). Housed at North Carolina State University, IEI, is a public policy organization that focuses on improving the state's economic and social structure and the organization has identified improving the state healthcare workforce as a priority. "This is one of the fastest growing job markets in North Carolina," Health policy expert Sarah Langer said, "yet current efforts to meet the growing workforce demand are fragmented. Part of our goal is to connect people and organizations so they can develop collaborations to address their needs."     Read More

The Votes Are In

RSP Members,

The votes are in and the slate is unanimously approved!

Thank you for being a part of the Competitive Workforce Alliance Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership. The team you have elected well represents our large, diverse region and will work with and on behalf of you to shape the future of the (RSP).

We hope each of you will join us for the Partnership meeting on April 26, 2012 as we continue to build our organization. We need you to share your challenges and successes in developing a qualified workforce. We want your ideas on how to make the Partnership a partner in accomplishing your organization's goals.

Join us on April 26th and be a part of the RSP. (You be receiving an invitation with more details very soon.)

Thank you again,

Paul Morlock
Stanly Regional Medical Center
Chair, RSP Nominating Committee

New Program Addresses Workforce Shortages!

The Competitive Workforce Alliance Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership has developed a Career Pathway model that outlines how employers “grow their own” skilled workers to meet workforce shortages.   This innovative model is detailed in a step-by-step guide or Tool Kit that describes the specific elements of the model.  It is unique in that the model is a flexible blueprint that can be adapted to various occupations and skill levels, making it ideal for any size or type of institution or groups of institutions. Read More

Diversifying Your Workforce: Are You Meeting the Mark? Discussed at CWA - Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership January Meeting

What does it mean to have a diversified workforce in healthcare today? Is your organization meeting the mark? With increasing emphasis being placed on meeting the healthcare demands of the area’s rapidly diversifying population, healthcare providers are under greater pressure to both increase the cultural competency of current medical professionals and expand the diversity of the workforce entering the job market. Studies have shown language and other cultural factors remain significant barriers to accessing healthcare and can significantly impact the quality and delivery of care. The challenge of closing those gaps through a diversified workforce is the focus of the next meeting of the Competitive Workforce Alliance Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership. Join us for the extraordinary opportunity to hear a distinguished panel of the area’s leading executives in healthcare and education address how their institutions are developing solutions to this complex workforce challenge. Read More

Full Circle: Three Years of Accomplishment

Since its inception in 2008, the Competitive Workforce Alliance Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership has grown from a collection of curious individuals to a strong collaboration of employers, educators, entrepreneurs, workforce and economic development professionals who together have created innovative models for addressing allied health workforce needs and shortages. Funded by the Department of Commerce, the Partnership was given three years to create itself and develop working models to increase the number of qualified workers in high-demand allied health positions. This grant expires December 31, and what began as an experiment has come full circle to create three successful workforce development models and tobegin creating another model of cooperation, communication and collaboration. To see the details of the accomplishments of this extraordinary Partnership click here for Full Circle: Three Years of Accomplishment: a PowerPoint presentation (in PDF) of the accomplishments. Read More

A New Career Pathway, a New Career:
Anesthesia Technician Certification Program is Underway

The pilot program designed to create new career opportunities for anesthesia technicians is underway! The first class started in October through a partnership between Carolinas College of Health Sciences (CCHS) and North Seattle Community College in Washington, and offers a certificate program that allows current employees to increase their skills and wages. There are no existing programs in North or South Carolina but the demand for this relatively new allied health position is increasing. “This is a unique program,” said CCHS President and project leader Ellen Sheppard. “It is also very timely. We are developing this as the Anesthesia Technician Professional Society is preparing to increase the standards for those in the field, and this program will allow existing employees to be prepared for that change.” Twenty-six (26) students are using an on- line curriculum developed by Carolinas College of Health Sciences with funding from the Competitive Workforce Alliance Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership. Read More

Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership - Regional Skills Partnership - Meeting Summary, Thursday August 11, 2011

The third quarter meeting of the Competitive Workforce Alliance Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership kicked off with Workforce Intermediary David Hollars announcing the Partnership has been able to extend its grant through December of 2011. While the Partnership will receive no additional funds, this extension will allow the RSP to spend the remainder of its funds and complete several initiatives including its PTA and Anesthesia Tech career pathways projects.    Read More

Showcasing the Jobs of the Future

"I had no idea how many career opportunities there are, and I am so glad I came." The refrain is being repeated over and over at this year's Allied Health Career Showcases. This marks the second year the Competitive Workforce Alliance Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership (RSP) is sponsoring a series of Showcases across the region.     Read More

Model Programs

“Impressive.” That is what state officials had to say about the work of North Carolina’s four Allied Health Regional Skills Partnerships. Speaking at the final Learning Exchange where the Partnerships gathered to share accomplishments, challenges and best practices, NC Executive Director of Workforce Development Roger Shackelford noted the state is using the lessons learned from these four Partnerships to create new workforce development initiatives. With 67 percent of North Carolinas jobs projected to be connected to healthcare, developing an adequate workforce is key to the state’s economic future. These four Partnerships are the pilot initiatives in the state’s plan to implement sector strategy, an economic development initiative designed to prepare a workforce for high-growth, high-demand industries. .. .     Read More

NC Health Sciences Curriculum: Keeping Up With the Times

From Biomedical Technology to Pharmacy Tech, the Health Sciences Curriculum in North Carolina middle and high schools is changing. "We are excited," says Joan Thompson of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).     Read More

Watch Our Allied Health Career Showcase Video

About The Partnership

Competitive Workforce Alliance - Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership:

A leading collaborative promoting allied health workforce development