Building Pathways to a Brighter Future
Alamo Colleges District
Alamo Colleges District Health Profession Opportunity Grant
Location: San Antonio, TX
OTHER GRANT INFORMATION
Six-Year Project Period: September 30, 2015 - September 29, 2021*
Annual Award Amount: $3,000,000
Type of Organization: Public/State-Controlled Institution of Higher Education
Service Area: San Antonio West and East Areas
Target Population: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and individuals at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, with an emphasis on public housing recipients, individuals with limited English proficiency, dropouts, noncustodial parents, individuals with a family history of intergenerational poverty, individuals with disabilities, and veterans
FIVE-YEAR QUANTIFIABLE PROJECTIONS
Number of individuals that will be enrolled in the overall HPOG program: 850
Number of TANF recipients that will be enrolled: 80
Number of individual participants that will begin basic skills education: 400
Number of individual participants that will complete basic skills education: 300
Number of participants that will begin any healthcare occupational training: 800
Number of participants that will complete any healthcare occupational training: 780
Number of individual participants that will obtain employment in a healthcare occupation: 650
ABSTRACT
Alamo Colleges District, Goodwill Industries of San Antonio, Project QUEST, San Antonio Housing Authority, Family Service, Prospera, and a network of employers collaborate to provide 1) comprehensive/coordinated wraparound services, 2) strong employer engagement, and 3) health professions training to TANF recipients and other low-income individuals in the following occupations: Registered Nurse, Medical Assistant, Nursing Assistant, Medical Office Clerk/Secretary, Pharmacy Technician, Licensed Practical and Vocational Nurse, and Radiological Technologist/Technician.
Participants benefit from Alamo Colleges District’s nationally recognized models for providing essential skills training, career exploration, accelerated vocational and job-specific training, work readiness training, and basic skills attainment. Students are exposed to real-life application of skills during externships/clinical rotations. Participants receive assistance with books, backpacks, supplies, scrubs, transportation, childcare, emergency assistance, case management, college and career readiness training, academic support, and job preparation training.
Strong collaboration with the workforce board, WSA, increases effective service delivery to clients. The local workforce centers are integral to the referral process, and procedures are in place to electronically dual-enroll HPOG students for WIOA services. WSA-center staff present at HPOG information and Career Empowerment sessions. Alamo Colleges District (ACD) leaders are WSA board members, which has enhanced communication, collaboration, and partnership accountability. ACD was awarded a U.S. DOL Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grant (Healthcare Apprenticeship Partnership) that includes many of the same occupations trained in the HPOG program and is working on developing an HPOG-apprenticeship grant in the Year 5 extension.
*This second round of grant awards has been extended an additional 12 months, ending September 29, 2021.