Kentucky Health Career Center will work closely with employers, educators
Louisville, Ky., – A new one-stop center focused on connecting people to the rising number of health care jobs in the Louisville area is now open.
The Kentucky Health Career Center, located at 746 S. Fifth St., will provide training, career advice and other services for job seekers as well as screening and talent search assistance for local health care providers to help them meet the growing demand for nurses, technicians and other skilled positions in hospitals, long-term care and other facilities.
“The health care sector is booming in Louisville and this center is a great new resource for people who want to join the industry or advance their existing career,” Fischer said at the opening ceremony last week. “Helping people prepare for and connect to the many well-paying skilled positions available in health care helps advance our critical goal of putting more of our citizens into good jobs that can truly support families.”
Health care jobs and wages are both rising locally according to recent data. There were more than 3,700 jobs posted in the Louisville area in the third quarter of 2015, including nearly 2,000 positions open for Registered Nurses, jobs that have a starting pay of about $50,000 a year.
“Working directly with employers in key high-growth, high-demand industries like health care, manufacturing and technology helps us maximize job and career opportunities for our customers,” said Michael Gritton, executive director of KentuckianaWorks.
The new center is a partnership between KentuckianaWorks and the Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Louisville, a regional health professions collaboration involving local health care organizations, secondary, post-secondary and higher education institutions, community-based organizations and health care providers.
“The Kentucky Health Career Center will connect the community to careers in the health care field,” said Jackie Beard, chair of the Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Louisville and System Director, Talent Acquisition & Workforce Development at Norton Healthcare. “Staff and resources at the center will prepare individuals with training and funding dollars to prepare our future workforce and connect them directly with employers. Through stackable certificates, degrees, and on the job training, the credentials offered through the KHCC will help the community and our existing employees advance, providing a better future for our community.”
This is the second career center created by KentuckianaWorks to focus on a specific industry sector. The first, the Kentucky Manufacturing Career Center, opened in 2013. Health care and advanced manufacturing are two of the industry growth sectors identified as key to the Louisville area’s economy by Fischer and Louisville Forward, the city’s economic development office.
The two specialized career centers are part of a regional network of career centers where job seekers in all industries can find jobs and education/training opportunities and employers can post openings for healthcare jobs.
Staff at the new health center are already working closely with hiring departments at area providers to help them meet their staffing needs. In addition to nurses, including Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants, other in-demand jobs at local hospitals and facilities include surgical, radiology and respiratory technicians.
The Kentucky Health Career Center also focuses on connecting people who want to land a health care job to the right education and training. For someone already in health care, it might involve returning to earn an extra degree or certification to advance into a higher-skilled, better paying position.
People looking to build skills to land a higher-paying job in health care or other in-demand field, may qualify for training funds through KentuckianaWorks, according to Gritton.
Fischer said the new career center is an important addition to the downtown area south of Broadway known as the SoBro district which is rapidly becoming an “education district” with Spalding University, Jefferson Community & Technical College, Simmons College and the main library branch all in the area, and the University of Louisville just blocks away. More information about the Kentucky Health Career Center, is available at www.kentuckianaworks.org. The facility can be reached at (502) 574-3344 and is served by TARC bus route 23.
