Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — June 18, 2015
(DALLAS) — Health care careers are hot jobs in the employment market, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area is no exception. To help link job seekers with health care employers, the Dallas County Community College District will present a free health care career fair on Thursday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Irving Convention Center, located at 500 W. Las Colinas Blvd. DCCCD’s Health Careers Resource Center and Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas are co-presenting the event in partnership with HHRA Dallas-Fort Worth and the University of North Texas Allied Health Pathways Project.
Job seekers are invited to network with more than 100 area health care employers, from hospitals to agencies, health insurance providers to clinics, and more. For more information about the fair or to register for the event, visit
www.dcccd.edu/HCRCfair.
The health care career fair, which is open to the public, also will enable participants to talk to career services representatives who can help critique resumes and assist with submitting job applications.
The event will kick off at 10 a.m. with a ribbon cutting to welcome participants as they network with prospective employers. Officials on hand to cut the ribbon will include Laurie Larrea, president of Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas; Jean Keller, interim vice president for equity and diversity with the University of North Texas Allied Health Pathways Project; and Joyce Williams, DCCCD associate vice chancellor for workforce and community initiatives.
Funding for the event is supported by a grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation through DCCCD’s Project OnRamp. The $500,000 Project OnRamp grant is part of the JPMorgan Chase New Skills at Work program, which is the largest private-sector effort aimed at solving the skills gap. Through that grant, Project OnRamp provides training for certified nursing aides so that they can become patient care technicians and increase their wages by 20 percent. “DCCCD is proud of its partnership with JPMorgan Chase,” said Dr. Joe May, the district’s chancellor. “It represents our ongoing efforts to enhance our workforce development programs, collaborate with top corporations and support economic development in our community.”
Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas is the local organization mandated to implement a system of services that complement economic development — a resource for employers to access the quality employees they need and for training individuals to be successfully employed. The organization administers a broad range of programs to address local workforce issues with business-directed objectives, including job training, workplace education, child care and educational initiatives, to provide the necessary support for every citizen of greater Dallas to be successful at work. Workforce Solutions is nationally recognized for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; it is an equal opportunity employer/program, and all services are provided at no cost to employers or job seekers.
The Allied Health Pathways program is hosted by UNT and is funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; it is designed to create a pipeline approach to recruit, support and graduate underrepresented males in allied health professions. Through strong partnerships with two- and four-year colleges, health science professional programs and workforce partnerships (such as TruCare Solutions Inc.), nearly 100 males are becoming licensed physical therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapy assistants and physician assistants. Students who participate in UNT’s AHP receive specialized academic advising, mentoring and networking with leaders from professional schools and also with professionals in the field to advance their pathways to allied health careers.
The DCCCD Health Careers Resource Center services the colleges in the Dallas County Community College District’s system and provides resources and information about health careers and work in the health industry in Texas. Specifically directed toward the citizens of Dallas County, it is a free service to help users identify a career goal, enroll in a health careers program and get a job in that field. Staff members facilitate in-person and online access to the broad array of diverse credit and continuing education health professions programs DCCCD offers through its colleges to help people make informed choices about their future careers. This one-stop shop for DCCCD students who are majoring in nursing and numerous allied health careers also is a resource for area health care providers who are looking for qualified employees or strategic solutions.
For more information, visit the website at
www.dcccd.edu/HCRCfair; contact Shannon Ydoyaga, director of DCCCD’s HCRC, by email at
shannony@dcccd.edu or by phone at 214-860-2303; or call Ann Hatch in the DCCCD office of public and governmental affairs at 214-378-1819 or send an email to
ahatch@dcccd.edu.
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