Page 16 - Healthcare News Jan/Feb 2023

HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE
Meeting a Growing Need
STCC Celebrates Opening of Workforce Development CNA Laboratory
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of certified nursing assistants will grow 11% from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations. Locally, the need is great for more direct-care workers throughout Western Mass. More than 500 unique job postings for CNAs and home health aides are posted in the region each year.
That’s why officials at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) were gratified by the official launch of the college’s Workforce Development CNA Laboratory. With the new lab, STCC will increase training capacity of the Certified Nurse Assistant Plus program and help fill a demand for healthcare jobs in the region.
At an event in Building 27 on campus, STCC President John Cook and staff welcomed region-
“
brings an enhanced capacity in a field we know only continues to grow and expand.”
With intentionality and planning diligence, STCC continues to make every effort to meet the need
for healthcare workforce training. This investment
al healthcare leaders, as well as legislators and elected officials who were on hand to celebrate the college’s new lab. They took a tour of the new facility, which includes high-tech patient simula- tors for students to use for training.
The construction of the new lab was com- pleted with college operations funds. New,
state-of-the-art equipment was made possible with Perkins funding. Free-of-cost training to qualifying participants is being provided with funds from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education’s Training Resources and Internship Networks program and the High Demand Workforce Training Grant. The total
CNA students Marianna Navarro Santiago, left, and Dashira Nazario practice on a patient simulator in the CNA lab at STCC.
16 WWW.HEALTHCARENEWS.COM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023