Parkland Education at Work program provides career development opportunity

Posted: 9/22/2016

United Way of Metropolitan Dallas donation helps employees continue school

Quincy Collier has always had the motivation for self-improvement, but not always the means.

“I had even looked at a specific school, thinking about taking some classes to continue my education, but I just didn’t have the finances or the time” said Collier, who has worked as an operating room distribution technician at Parkland Memorial Hospital for more than two years. “When I heard about this program, I knew it was a perfect fit for me.”

The program is Education at Work, recently implemented at Parkland Health & Hospital System thanks to a generous donation from the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Part of Parkland Academy’s Center for Career Development, Education at Work provides job skills training and educational opportunities to eligible Parkland employees, allowing them to learn while continuing to work to support their families.

For Collier, 30, it means the opportunity to earn an Associate’s Degree from El Centro College. He wants to study medical diagnostic sonography, a field he became interested in after seeing the sonogram of his son.

“I’m glad for the job I have, but I also know that there are opportunities for me to do more if I earn this degree,” he said.

Collier is among 20 participants who were honored at a reception Sept. 21 at Parkland to celebrate the start of the program and to recognize the achievements of those who began taking classes this fall. The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and JPMorgan Chase also were honored for their donations to support career and workforce development programs at Parkland.

United Way will donate $225,000 over the next three years to fund the Education at Work program at Parkland.

In addition to helping participants with tuition and books, the program will offer “wrap-around” services to help them overcome some of the barriers to continuing their education, including childcare, transportation, career coaching and financial literacy.

“This program will provide a great opportunity for those who have not previously had the resources to pursue their dream of earning an Associate’s Degree in a healthcare-related field while maintaining their employment at Parkland,” said Gerard Camacho, Parkland Academy’s Director of Career Development. “In return, the participants agree to remain at Parkland for at least two years after obtaining their degrees. The hope is that their degrees will help advance their careers.”

The Education at Work program is open to individuals who have been employed at Parkland for at least a year, whether part-time or full-time, and who do not currently have a degree from any college or university.

“Parkland is taking steps to ensure that our employees have opportunities for career advancement and that we continue to develop an internal pipeline of qualified healthcare professionals to meet the needs of our health system,” said Fred Cerise, MD, MPH, President and CEO of Parkland. “We are excited to partner with the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas to develop the Education at Work program.”

Last year JPMorgan Chase donated $211,500 to create the Rise to Success Youth Fellowship program to help pay for the training of high school graduates interested in working at Parkland. The two-year pilot program helps high school graduates who are not attending college to continue their education through the Dallas Community College District. In addition to a summer training session, that program also offers part-time employment at Parkland.