When the new federal healthcare bill was signed into law several years ago, it meant that there would be significant changes, especially on how medical records will be kept and maintained in the future.
With demand for health information technology jobs projected at more than 150,000 jobs nationally in the next 4-5 years, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship has been focusing on developing programs and workforce opportunities within the healthcare and information technology industries.
To that end, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ) recently received a $17,500 seed grant from the Verizon Foundation to support preliminary efforts to launch a registered apprenticeship program in the growing electronic medical records field.
“With healthcare reform implementation already under way and sure to ramp up in the coming year, the demand for more talent to meet the Health IT needs of providers is imminent,” said Doug Schoenberger, vice president of corporate responsibility & public policy for Verizon New Jersey. “Verizon has long been a leader in communications technology and today we continue that tradition by supporting the utilization of technology to improve healthcare in New Jersey— and provide better jobs for its residents.”
The Verizon grant will help develop a program to ensure that New Jersey will have a well-trained workforce to address the required electronic medical record conversion.
“The apprenticeship model is a highly effective workforce strategy for building skills and earnings in entry- and middle-level jobs, for increasing productivity and for aligning employer demands with the supply of workers for any industry,” said Cornell William Brooks, Esq., and NJISJ executive director. “This model can be a passport to the middle class."
NJISJ has had previous success with pre-apprenticeship training through its Newark/Essex Construction Career Consortium which was an innovative, nationally recognized program through which nearly 450 minorities and women successfully entered the construction trades.
“The benefit of an apprenticeship model is that participants can learn while they earn in an environment that provides them an entree into the middle class,” said Albert Williams, NJISJ director of workforce development and training. “Verizon should be applauded for taking the lead to support efforts to enhance employment prospects for residents of New Jersey.”
