NAHEC lining up interns and employers in new Department of Labor program
Thursday, July 31, 2008, 4:25pm
CANTON – NAHEC, the Northern Area Health Education Center, is looking for employers who are willing to offer internships for local youth as part of a state Department of Labor initiative aimed at long-term recruitment across five counties in the North Country.
NAHEC, known for its innovative approach to recruiting health care workers for the North Country, says this DOL program is for young people and for-profit companies. It is not limited to health care careers and companies.
“Young people from the North Country frequently leave the area to secure better jobs in other parts of the state or country, resulting in a ‘brain drain’ of local talent,” said Richard Merchant, CEO of NAHEC.
“While opportunities exist locally, many young people are not aware of what is available. This program, sponsored by the New York State Department of Labor, aims to achieve a ‘grow your own’ approach to long term recruitment by connecting area youth with opportunities for local employment,” said Merchant.
“Internships are also an opportunity for local businesses to tap into the talent pool of local college students to achieve special, short term projects, such as research, marketing, or data collection and analysis at relatively low cost”, said Merchant.
Participating companies will be asked to employ young people from the area, ages 16 to 25, on their payrolls for 100 hours while NAHEC provides the interns with guidance and direction in career planning, skill assessment, and securing education for their chosen career paths.
During the 100-hour program, interns will be given the opportunity to learn real work skills. Employers will have the chance to evaluate up-and-coming local talent and build the relationships necessary for long term recruitment.
NAHEC has successfully used this approach with healthcare employers who recruit NAHEC-sponsored students for hard-to-fill local healthcare careers. Students and employers participating in the DOL Youth Initiative are not limited to healthcare careers.
The Northern Area Health Education Center, Inc., was formed in response to a healthcare workforce shortage. NAHEC initiatives are designed to introduce individuals to the numerous career opportunities available from their local employers.
“The DOL program is an opportunity to extend the proven NAHEC Case Management model to other industry sectors of the local economy that may also be experiencing high demand,” said Merchant. One requirement of the DOL program is that employers must be for-profit businesses.
If you are a local, for-profit business owner or a person aged 16 to 25 who might benefit from this program, contact NAHEC at 105 Main St., Canton, NY 13767, phone 379-7702, email gparker@nahecnet.org
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