Building Pathways to a Brighter Future
South Carolina Department of Social Services
Project HOPE: Healthcare Occupations Preparation for Employment
Location: Columbia, SC
OTHER GRANT INFORMATION
Six-Year Project Period: September 30, 2015 - September 29, 2021*
Annual Award Amount: $2,993,624
Type of Organization: State Government
Service Area: The State of South Carolina
Target Population: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, Catawba Indian families, veterans, youth ages 17—20 aging out of the foster care system, and other low-income individuals
FIVE-YEAR QUANTIFIABLE PROJECTIONS
Number of individuals that will be enrolled in the overall HPOG program: 1,120
Number of TANF recipients that will be enrolled: 410
Number of individual participants that will begin basic skills education: 1,120
Number of individual participants that will complete basic skills education: 840
Number of participants that will begin any healthcare occupational training: 1,190
Number of participants that will complete any healthcare occupational training: 855
Number of individual participants that will obtain employment in a healthcare occupation: 686
ABSTRACT
The South Carolina Department of Social Services operates Project HOPE: Healthcare Occupations Preparation for Employment, a comprehensive wraparound services program that provides intensive academic and career counseling and supportive services to low-income individuals. The statewide program consists of five phases: 1) recruitment/selection, 2) boot camp, 3) healthcare education and training, 4) job placement assistance, and 5) postemployment services. Throughout the program, project staff work with participants to provide intensive case management and coordinate supportive services.
Project HOPE’s program goals include preparing participants for attendance at postsecondary institutions by providing coordinated strategies that address life and work-readiness skills and basic skills education, preparing participants to attain healthcare industry—recognized credentials that are stackable along a career pathway for jobs that are in demand in South Carolina, and facilitating the employment and retention of participants in healthcare jobs that pay sustainable wages. The project’s targeted occupations are: Registered Nurse, Medical Laboratory Technician, Licensed Practical Nurse, Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Medical Records Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic, Patient Care Technician, Pharmacy Technician, Cardiovascular Technician, Phlebotomist, and Certified Nursing Assistant. Program participants are assessed on an individual basis for supportive services, including childcare, transportation, uniforms, tuition assistance, and vaccines. The project’s partners include healthcare employers, hospital systems, local Workforce Investment Boards, the technical college system, and the South Carolina Department of Social Services. Project Hope is working with the South Carolina Hospital Association and South Carolina Apprenticeship consultants to establish a career pathway for participants. Project HOPE job developers will continue to provide leads for apprenticeship consultants to meet with interested employers.
*This second round of grant awards has been extended an additional 12 months, ending September 29, 2021.
HPOG South Carolina Department of Social Services Abstract (PDF)