About 80 leaders in the Health Services Industry participated this week in the in-person “NJ Pathways to Career Opportunities: Health Services Collaborative Meeting” at the Moses Center at Bergen Community College in Paramus, which was organized by the NJ Council of County Colleges (NJCCC).
The Health Services event was led by Catherine Frugé Starghill, Esq., vice president of Strategy and Partnerships at NJCCC. It included a presentation by Bergen Community College staff about their Associate Degree Nursing Program, a presentation by Camden County College about its Certified/Registered Medical Assistant Program, pathways of the Center of Workforce Innovation for Patient Care, and a Health Services expert panel discussion.
On the panel were Jeff Feldman, director of Advocacy and Communications, National Association of Social Workers – New Jersey (NASW-NJ), Belinda Cooper, chief hr officer of the New Jersey State Hospital Association (NJHA), and Charles Larobis, director of quality of the Clinical and Regulatory Services, Health Care Association of New Jersey (HCANJ).
“Our In-Person Collaborative Meetings around the state this fall and winter are moving the NJ Pathways to Career Opportunities initiative forward to align education to the workforce needs of industry,” said Starghill. “We are so excited that so many stakeholders believe in NJ Pathways and have joined together to make our vision to align education to the needs of industry a reality. We now have more than 1,200 industry and education partners throughout New Jersey. We all must be connected to build an innovative workforce, and that is exactly what we’re doing… connecting and sharing critical information.”
Last week, NJCCC held the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities – Technology and Innovation Collaborative Meeting at Rowan College at Burlington County in Mount Laurel with more than 70 industry leaders in attendance. On our Cybersecurity Industry panel were Angel Piñeiro, vice president of Strategic Academic Relationships at CompTIA, Margo Connors, US senior program manager at Microsoft, and Rebecca Chisolm, senior leader, Network Academy North America at CISCO.
The mission of The New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative, led by New Jersey’s Community Colleges and the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, is to align education to build an innovative workforce. It is comprised of four Industry Collaboratives which are statewide inclusive groups of industry leaders and educational partners across the state focused on the four key industries of the state’s economy: (1) Health Services, (2) Infrastructure and Energy, (3) Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, and (4) Technology and Innovation. The Pathways Initiative will expand economic mobility for students and adult learners and drive economic growth for employers.
At each of the four Industry Collaborative meetings, NJCCC brings together industry and education partners from across the state and sectors to share labor market intelligence, as well as discuss other key topics regarding workforce development and education issues. The Pathways Initiative is creating a connected education ecosystem to industry and has more than 1,200 industry and education partners since its kick-off in December 2021. More details are available at njpathways.org.
