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at graduation.“We participate in the promotion and marketing of this event while helping to answer student and parent questions about the program,” Finne says. In regards to C-TECH, the Mayo Clinic knows, based on student follow-up surveys, that they can expect two things from their graduates. “Many of our graduates use the knowledge, skills and, in some cases, industry credentials to leaver either full-time or part-time work (while in college),” Finne says. “In particular, with our certified nursing assistant students, many of these students use this education to work while in college or to start working full-time.” In regards to P-TECH, the partnership with the Mayo Clinic is more intentional. “This is truly a career pathway from high school through college to an employer for employment,” Finne says. “As this program continues to mature, Mayo Clinic desires to see 25 to 30 hires a year from this program investment.”
a more streamlined pathway from high school to college to career.” Similar to RCTC advisory committees, Boyd says the P-TECH and CTECH partnerships allow for business and industry to provide critical feedback and advice directly from the “front-lines” of their sectors. “Employers know what is working – and what is not – from their perspectives, and that kind of input is invaluable in creating programs relevant for today,” Boyd says. “Students need and want to learn current skills, and employers need highly skilled and compotent employees, so it’s a win-win for everyone.” Indeed, as Pekel explains, RPS works very hard to align its career pathway programs with regional workforce needs and are increasing each year the number of programs that partner directly with Rochester area employers including Mayo Clinic, Sargent’s Nursery, New Horizon Academy, Rochester Fire Department, and Mayo Clinic Ambulance, to name a few. “These partnerships are a win-win for all parties involved. Students and families enjoy the direct connection with local employers,” Pekel says. “RPS is able to access a level of experience and knowledge otherwise unavailable, and our community partners are able to access a potential future workforce to boost their recruiting efforts.” Partners in Progress With C-TECH, the Mayo Clinic participates in the advisory council, which helps to guide the various career pathway offerings. Mayo Clinic has classroom presenters to help confirm the learnings within those classrooms. “We support the HOSA Chapter that is associated with this partnership,” says Guy Finne, director of workforce development at Mayo Clinic. “We also support the Nursing Skills Lab with consumable materials needed to educate students about nursing assistant.” With P-TECH, the Mayo Clinic participates in the steering committee as well as the practical nursing advisory. In this role the Mayo Clinic talks about curriculum, the student experience, work-based learning opportunities, paid internships and the eventual hiring opportunity that awaits the student
PTECH and CTECH programs prepare high school students to fill critical workforce needs in a variety of industries.
Finne stresses that he truly values public and private partnerships. “I have been blessed to be involved in many of these efforts and I can honestly say that each one of those partnerships are better due to the varying perspectives that are brought to the table by those from the public sector, as well as those from the private sector,” Finne says. “We bring forward our strengths and our weaknesses and together we can hone in on the diverse nature of our strengths in order to have a better partnership outcome.” The P-TECH program with IBM directly addresses both education and workforce development issues. P-TECH addresses the global “skills gap” to strengthen regional economies by building a
| Advantage Magazine 6
November 2021
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