HCC participates in TWC training grant consortium

Houston Community College received more than $300,000 as part of a Texas Workforce Commission grant totaling more than $1.2 million to provide training to CHRISTUS Health System Associates. HCC delivers technical training for the IT staff of the CHRISTUS Health Support Center including system managers, software engineers and computer field service technicians. Training is also planned for nurses and administrative staff.

HCC is an integral part of this TWC grant, which has been awarded to Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, Texas. A consortium of colleges will provide training to CHRISTUS Health organizations in various regions between May 2011 and July 2012.

“CHRISTUS Health’s complex Information Technology Center provides innovative technology to deliver the most efficient and highest quality care possible for thousands of patients throughout our organization,” said Karen Hale, Director, Information Management Learning & Development, CHRISTUS Health. “The CHRISTUS Health Information Management group will also utilize this grant opportunity to improve the skills of our technical associates, thereby increasing their potential career growth opportunities.”

According to the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, the healthcare industry is one of the most powerful economic forces in the Gulf Coast Region and is expected to add nearly 110,000 jobs by 2016, an increase of 42.8 percent.

Healthcare is experiencing significant employment growth despite the current economic downturn. Many of the healthcare occupations included in the CHRISTUS program are identified by the Gulf Coast Workforce Board High-Skill, High-Growth Occupations list as those most likely to have chronic labor shortages and will be in high demand in the near future.

The overall goal of the Skills Development Fund is to increase the skill level and wages of the Texas workforce. HCC is a major player in helping to reach that goal.