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Carle’s Job Readiness and Learning Program (JRLP) helped Dominique White reach at least one of her goals so far.
“I love helping people, and working in a hospital was always a dream that I didn’t think I’d get to experience until I came to Carle,” she said.
Carle positively impacts the community with employment opportunities through the six-week JRLP program that combines classroom and on-the-job training to equip entry-level employees with the technical and soft skills they need to be successful.
For White, the program is working as it was originally envisioned.
“Dominique has truly embraced the tools the program gave her. She is a model for what the Job Readiness and Learning Program is all about,” said Paige Parker, Carle Workforce Development partner.
Parker helps with the day-to-day operations of the program and facilitates the essential classroom component.
The JRLP speeds up the process of finding people motivated to work in healthcare. The participants receive an opportunity to combine their interest in working at Carle while gaining valuable work skills.
White started as an Environmental Services (EVS) technician, readying hospital beds for new patients after others go home. Less than a year later, White advanced to EVS shift coordinator. With the added responsibility, White now trains others while doing checks and reports of her own.
“I have seen a lot of growth from Dominique. Watching and hearing her coaching other team members is remarkable,” Parker said.
White doesn’t plan to stop there.
“My goal has been to start from the bottom but go all the way up, potentially even being a nurse,” White said.
With the opportunities available through the JRLP, the outcomes are endless.
“As part of the program, we don’t hire individuals into a position with the expectation that they will forever remain in that role. It’s a collaborative process involving their interest and ambitions and how they want that to work into their futures at Carle,” Parker said.
White said, “Within the six weeks of the program, there’s a lot of coaching, but it’s worth it. The people you meet there are all amazing. They inspired me. I did a complete 180. The coaching helped me find myself and learn who I wanted to become and the roles I want to play at Carle.”
Like White’s, JRLP’s future is bright.
“We are in the fourth program of this year, and we plan to have three more by the end of the year,” Parker said, adding that over 70 individuals have come through the program to date and the goal is to continue at the same pace in the years to come.
With the help from the Carle community and more specifically the Leonard Career Opportunities Fund through Carle Health Center for Philanthropy, JRLP can continue making goals like White’s attainable.
Categories: Staying Healthy, Community
Tags: careers, Carle, Champaign-Urbana, housekeeping, innovation, job, philanthropy, readiness, training