The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) – the largest ...ww1.insightcced.org/uploads/assets/Lopez,...

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) – the largest national Hispanic civil rights and

advocacy organization in the United States – works to improve opportunities for Hispanic

Americans. Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations

(CBOs), NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the

District of Columbia. To achieve its mission, NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis,

and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas – assets/investments, civil

rights/immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health. In addition, it

provides capacity-building assistance to its Affiliates who work at the state and local level to

advance opportunities for individuals and families.

Founded in 1968, NCLR is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization

headquartered in Washington, DC. NCLR serves all Hispanic subgroups in all regions of the

country and has operations in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix,

Sacramento, San Antonio, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

© Copyright 2008 by the National Council of La Raza

Raul Yzaguirre Building, 1126 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, 202.785.1670

Printed in the United States of America.All rights reserved.

Carreras En Salud:A Chicago Bilingual Health Care

Career Pathways Partnership

Prepared for NCLR by

Frank A. Mirabal

Published and Developed byNational Council of La Raza

Washington, DC

The author of this report wouldlike to extend gratitude to all ofthe program staff, students,administrators, and educatorswho provided invaluablecontribution and insight to thisdocument. The investment oftime and personal testimony wasincredibly appreciated andadded depth and a soul to thedocument. I would like toextend deep appreciation toSimon Lopez of the NationalCouncil of La Raza and Dr.Ricardo Estrada of Instituto delProgreso Latino for theirleadership, support, andcoordination of this report.

The author would also like tothank the following individualsfor their contributions to thisreport:

Instituto del Progreso LatinoJuan SalgadoExecutive Director

Tom DuBoisWorkforce Development Director

Patricia BolivarProgram Coordinator

Francisco HernandezAdvisor

JoAnn TateInstructor

Acknowledgments

A Chicago Bilingual Health Care Career Pathways Partnership

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Association House ofChicagoMiguel PalacioAssociate Director

Policy Planning PartnersJudith KossyEvaluator

Humboldt ParkVocational EducationCenter (HPVEC), ofWilbur Wright College,one of the City Collegesof ChicagoMadeline Roman-VargasDean, HPVEC

Alba PezzarosiAssociate Dean, HPVEC

Julie WhiteDean of Allied HealthWilbur Wright College

Carreras en SaludStudents and AlumniPatricia RamirezProgram Alumnus

Beatriz MartinezLicensed Practical NursingStudent

Ofelia OlaezPre-Certified NursingAssistant Student

National Council of La RazaSurabhi JainWorkforce DevelopmentAnalyst

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Instituto del ProgresoLatino (Instituto)Instituto has been a 501(c)3organization serving Latinofamilies in the Southside ofChicago for more than 26 years.Having grown from an English-language program in a fewchurch basements in the Pilsencommunity, Instituto now has abudget of $5.5 million a yearthat can support a vibranteducation and community centerwith four community-basedWorkforce Investment Act (WIA)Career Centers located in keySouthside Latino neighborhoods.Thus, Instituto is better equippedthan ever to meet its ambitious

mission to “contribute to thefullest development that fostersfull participation in the changingUnited States society whilepreserving cultural identity anddignity.”

Association House ofChicago (AHC)AHC was established in 1899 toserve Chicago’s Greater WestTown and Humboldt Park areasand has followed a core missionto serve its economicallydisadvantaged community

Biographical Sketches of theCarreras en Salud Partners:


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members. With an annualbudget of $9.5 million, AHChad adapted with eachchanging era to suit theneeds of its local residents,and now serves more than20,000 predominantlyLatino and African Americanindividuals and families a year.

Humboldt ParkVocational EducationCenter (HPVEC), ofWilbur WrightCollege, one of theCity Colleges ofChicagoHPVEC is a community-oriented institution whoseprimary mission is toprovide both short- andlong-term training in thefields of business, health,and manufacturing. Thesetraining programs teach thenecessary skills foremployment and career

advancement. WrightCollege has a long history inhealth care education. In1989 Wright Collegeestablished a basic nursingassistant training program.Since then 200-300 studentsper year have graduatedfrom the program andbecome employed.Approximately, 30%-40% ofWright’s graduates advancetheir education either to thelicensed practical nurse(LPN) or registered nurse(RN) levels. In 1995, Wrightstarted its first class ofpractical nursing students.The entire LPN curriculumwas written with the IllinoisArticulation Initiative as theunderpinning. Thus, thosewho are accepted into theprogram who are practicingcertified nursing assistants(CNAs) are given advancedplacement intofundamentals II. LPNgraduates are able tocomplete their generaleducation requirements andare prepared to enter an RNprogram within a year ofgraduation.

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National Council ofLa Raza (NCLR)The National Council of LaRaza (NCLR) – the largestnational Hispanic civil rightsand advocacy organizationin the United States – worksto improve opportunities forHispanic* Americans.Through its network ofnearly 300 affiliatedcommunity-basedorganizations (CBOs), NCLRreaches millions ofHispanics each year in 41states, Puerto Rico, and theDistrict of Columbia. Toachieve its mission, NCLRconducts applied research,policy analysis, and

advocacy, providing a Latinoperspective in five key areas– assets/investments, civilrights/immigration,education, employment andeconomic status, andhealth. In addition, itprovides capacity-buildingassistance to its Affiliateswho work at the state andlocal level to advanceopportunities for individualsand families.

Founded in 1968, NCLR is aprivate, nonprofit,nonpartisan, tax-exemptorganization headquarteredin Washington, DC. NCLRserves all Hispanicsubgroups in all regions ofthe country and hasoperations in Atlanta,Chicago, Los Angeles, NewYork, Phoenix, Sacramento,San Antonio, and San Juan,Puerto Rico.

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* The terms “Latino” and “Hispanic” are used interchangeably by theU.S. Census Bureau and throughout this document to identify personsof Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American,Dominican, and Spanish descent; they may be of any race.

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As a critical component of itsWorkforce Development (WFD)efforts, the National Council ofLa Raza (NCLR) works with itsAffiliate partners to link thenation’s future labor force withdynamic industries by creatingand promoting innovative andreplicable partnership modelsthat prepare, support, retain,and advance Latino workers inquality careers. Specifically,NCLR aims to strengthen existingprojects by incorporatingstrategies that support theupward mobility and skillsacquisition of Latinos in dynamicindustries with high-growthpotential.

With funds received from theU.S. Department of Labor, NCLRis supporting innovativestrategies that support advancededucation and skills attainmentof Latino workers using a healthcare career pathway approach.The purpose of this document isto highlight promising practicesfrom one of NCLR’s pilot sites,Carreras en Salud, which is basedin Chicago, Illinois. Carreras enSalud (Careers in Health), is abilingual health care partnershipdesigned to effectively bridge thegap between low-paying jobsand higher-wage careers,through education, training, andwrap-around support services.

Purpose of this Report


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This paper incorporatesstrategies for developing acareer pathway model, frompartnership formation tobuilding scalable bridges.The paper also examineslessons learned from the

pilot site, strategies to bringcareer pathway models toscale and highlightspromising and effectivepractices to building atrained, highly skilled Latinoworkforce.

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Patricia was at a roadblock in herlife. In her late 20s, she hadspent nine years of her lifeworking a dead-end job at a localdepartment store with minimaloptions for advancement. With ayoung child to support, Patricia’sstory is one that is all too familiarin Latino communities. She didnot have much guidance at homewhich contributed to low gradesin high school. Her parents spokeonly Spanish at home whichcreated a language barrier thaterased the family as a majorsupport in her education. Being asecond-generation U.S. citizen,she did not face many of thebarriers that immigrantpopulations typically face.However, as a Latina living in theinner city she felt ostracized in a

workforce system whereopportunities for a better life werenowhere in sight.

At a major tipping point in herlife, she decided to enroll atMorton College in Chicago topursue a career in nursing.Feeling comfortable with hercareer choice she moved forwardwith youthful optimism andeagerness in the nursing programat the college. However, after afew semesters it became crystalclear that she lacked thepreparation, guidance, andsupport to be successful at thepost-secondary level. Sheultimately was removed from theinstitution, falling half a pointshort of meeting her minimumgrade requirements. Once again,she was at a familiar crossroads.

Carreras en Salud: A Success Story


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After serving her suspensionfor low-academicperformance, she re-enrolledin the City College system tocontinue her dream of being anurse. Hoping for a betteroutcome than before, Patriciamoved forward with theprogram without the guidanceand support she sodesperately sought. She thenreceived the phone call thatwould lead to a sequence ofevents that ultimately wouldchange her life. “I was takingclasses at another institutionwhen I received a call fromWilbur Wright College whowas trying to recruit Latinostudents for a new programcalled Carreras en Salud,” saidPatricia. “It sounded like areally interesting program, soI decided to set up anappointment to find out more.After that meeting, I wasconvinced that this was theprogram for me.”

The Carreras en Salud programprovided a clear roadmap forPatricia to follow toward hercareer destination. Moreimportantly, however was theguidance and support shereceived from the programand program staff to help

eradicate some of her barriersto success. “The counselingand mentorship I receivedwhile in the program reallyhelped me stay focused,” shesaid. “Knowing my mentorwas always there really mademe feel comfortable. Theyalso helped me with much ofmy financial expenses, suchas books, tuition, and boardexams and even helped mewith child care so I couldattend school.”

While attending LPN classes,Patricia was working as aCertified Nursing Assistant(CNA) at a local hospitalmaking $11.00 an hour tosupport her family. In oneprogram year, Patriciacompleted her LPNcoursework and made thesuccessful career transition tothe LPN level – which led toan increase in pay to $25.00per hour. Patricia proudlysaid, “I’m now able to providea better life for my son. Itfeels good to not have to relyon government assistanceanymore. I wouldn’t have beenable to do it without thesupport of Carreras en Saludand all the mentorship andsupport they provided.”

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The gap that exists betweenhigh-paying jobs andunemployed, poorly educatedworkers continues to grow at aprogressive rate. The increaseddemand for a trained, educatedworkforce to meet the demandsof a rapidly changing workforcehas catalyzed policy-makers,business leaders, educators, andcommunity advocates toreexamine how they prepareworkers for a complexworkplace. Furthermore, withlow educational attainment, highrepresentation in resource-poorschools and unresponsivetraining and employmentsystems for low-wage Latinos,the limited career mobilityopportunities within the Latinopopulation is incrediblypronounced.

Many Latinos are currentlyworking in dead-end jobsprimarily because ofemployment barriers, such aslow-English proficiency, limitededucation and training, lowrepresentation in post-secondaryinstitutions, and lack of familysupport. The Latino populationis currently the fastest-growingminority group in the UnitedStates. Consequently, the needfor bilingual workers is rapidlychanging domestic workforcedevelopment.

Given the complexity of theissues facing Latino workers, oneinstitution would be incrediblychallenged to effectively meetthe comprehensive needs of thepopulation. Post-secondaryinstitutions have traditionally

Overview: Analysis ofthe Latino Workforce Gap


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taken on the challenge ofpreparing students for theworkforce throughadvisement, instruction, andtraining. However, mostcolleges and post-secondaryinstitutions lack thecapacity to focus on someof the deeper socioeconomicissues that roadblockdisadvantaged populationsfrom accessing andultimately thriving inworthwhile careers. Thus, amore comprehensiveapproach to solving theproblem is needed toeffectively meet the needs ofthe Latino worker.

Recent data suggest thatlack of diversity in thehealth care sector willinvariably affect the abilityof the current workforce to

respond to the needs ofvulnerable populations.*For example, less than 5%of incoming dental studentsare Latino. This percentageis far below the overall U.S.population of Latinos(13%).

In Metropolitan Chicago,there is a dire need forbilingual health careprofessionals. In the healthcare industry, Latinoscompose less than 2% of allLPNs and registered nurses(RNs).† The shortage ofLatino health careprofessionals in Chicagocreates a wedge betweenhealth care service providersand service recipients sincethe Latino population iscurrently at 25%.

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* R.W. Valochovic (2002). “Dental workforce trends and children,”Ambulatory Pediatrics: The official journal of the Ambulatory PediatricAssociation. p. 154-61. Retrieved on March 14, 2007 fromhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11950387&dopt=Abstract.

† A Shared Future: The Economic Engagement of Greater Chicago and ItsMexican Community (2006). The Chicago Council on Global Affairs,p.41.

NCLR’s Vision for Building aHighly Skilled Latino Workforce

NCLR envisioned a careerpathway model that wouldincorporate community-basedorganizations to address some ofthe socioeconomic barriersLatinos face, strong partnershipswith local post-secondaryinstitutions to provide academicadvisement and instruction, andan employment partner networkthat would readily placeprogram graduates in high-wagejobs. This multilayered programdesign ensures that all the majorstakeholders in the developmentof a skilled workforce would beactively engaged in the process.

In 2003, NCLR began to focus itsworkforce efforts on keyindustries that could provideupward mobility for Latinoworkers. NCLR’s vision for a

career pathway model forLatinos led them to Chicago,Illinois where they already hadestablished relationships withAffiliate organizations doingoutstanding work in the area ofworkforce development.Instituto del Progreso Latino(Instituto) and AssociationHouse of Chicago (AHC) havebeen cornerstone agencies inChicago, working with the Latinopopulation. Moreover, both ofthe Chicago-based NCLR Affiliateorganizations already hadstrong, productive relationshipswith the Chicago City Collegesystem. In fact, AHC hadalready incorporated a pathwaymodel for the printing industrythat served as a template forfurther investigation.


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Sector Analysis

In late 2003, NCLR initiated theprocess of identifying possibleindustries with a potential forgrowth and career advancementfor Latino workers. NCLR hiredStephanie Sommers, anindependent consultant, toconduct a sector analysis ofindustries in Cook County,Illinois. At the same time, keypersonnel from Instituto, AHC,and NCLR formed an advisorycommittee that served as anoversight committee to the sectoranalysis work. The committeeconvened regularly to discussstrategy, review data, and guidethe work of the independentconsultant.

The purpose of the sectoranalysis was to provide NCLRwith a preliminary analysis ofthe major job sectors in CookCounty, Illinois. Data weregathered from multiple sourcesincluding the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of LaborStatistics and OccupationalEmployment Statistics, the USCensus Bureau’s CountyBusiness Patterns, Crain’s Wageand Salary Survey, and theIllinois Department ofEmployment Security. Thissector analysis was meant tosupport the first phase of athree-phase decision-makingprocess among project partners.


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The three phases aredefined as follows:

PHASE 1Review general data onCook County job sectors inorder to choose three thatlook the most promising.

PHASE 2 Interview key players in thechosen sectors inpreparation for a finaldecision on a single jobsector.

PHASE 3 Make appropriatepartnerships to ground theprogram design of atargeted workforce trainingprogram to benefitHumboldt Park residents.*

Based on the analysis, thethree major Cook Countyindustries with good growthprojections and good-payingcareer path opportunitiesthat don’t require advanceddegrees were identified as:

■ Health Care

■ Transportation

■ Construction

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* Humboldt Park Economic Development Corporation and NationalCouncil of La Raza Sector Analysis Report (2003). StephanieSommers and Laura Zumdahl.

Why Health Care?

Each of the three industriesrecommended in the SectorAnalysis report had distinct prosand cons associated with careerpath opportunities. Forinstance, construction had verypositive projections for growth inCook County over a ten-yearperiod. However, constructionas an industry is consideredseasonal, thus limiting theindustry and its earningpotential for Latino workers,specifically in months withinclement weather. Transportationalso had very positiveprojections for growth over aten-year period. However,according to the data,transportation has shown aconsistent decrease in number ofemployees since the year 2000.The quantitative data from the

report made a strong case for ahealth care career pathway forthe following reasons:

■ Projections for the servicesindustry in 2010 indicatedthat employment in thehealth care industrynationwide will grow at a rateof 2.9%, the fastest among allthe industries as comparedwith the 1.4% projectedgrowth for the economy as awhole. In addition,projections for health servicessub-sector in Cook Countyshowed a 1.65% annualgrowth rate to 2010.

■ Research shows thatemployment growth in thehealth care field in theChicago area is projected tocontinue well into the future.


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Hospitals, nursing andpersonal care facilities,and physician’s officeswill account for moretotal jobs by the year2006 than any other localgrowth industry, with anoverall employmentgrowth of 29,500employees, for a total of219,000 jobs in theindustry.* This growth isdue to cost-containingmeasures of movingpatients and proceduresto outpatient clinics andthe increased demand forlong-term nursing caredue to the growing agingpopulation.

■ Health care and socialassistance is notseasonal employment,which allows for fairlystable work.

Although strong,quantitative evidence madea strong case for a health

care career pathway, NCLRand its Affiliate partners inChicago agreed that furtherqualitative investigationwith area workforcepartners was still necessary.“We wanted to talk topeople on the ground,” saidSimon Lopez, Director ofWorkforce Development atNCLR. “We felt it wasimportant to talk to theAffiliates’ workforcepartners, including humanresource directors andmanagers that are lookingfor skilled labor. We didn’twant our decisions to bedriven exclusively by thedata provided in the report.”As such, NCLR provided asmall grant to HumboldtPark Economic DevelopmentCorporation to conduct thequalitative interviews withits regional employmentnetwork and other partnersin Cook County.

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* Understanding Entry-Level Care Employment in Chicago. Chicago JobsCouncil, Health Care Sector Employment Intervention Initiative,August 2000, page 14. Retrieved from the Sector Analysis Reportauthored by Sommers and Zumdahl.

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After completing acomprehensive review of thedata, the advisory committeeultimately made the decisionto pursue a career pathwayin the health care industry.As Simon Lopez explained,“Choosing the health careindustry was a very involvedprocess. It was not assimple as, here are one ortwo industries; let’s just pickone that has good jobs. Wehad to assess future industryand occupational growth,analyze regional resources,and determine the skills andneeds of the Latinocommunity in Chicago. Thisis where the involvement ofthe advisory committeereally came in to play,specifically Tom DuBois atInstituto and Miguel Palacioat AHC.” The advisorycommittee set up a scoringmatrix to rate each industrybased on key criteria.

The ratings of an industrywere influenced, in part bythe following criteria:

■ Concentrated Latinorepresentation in anindustry. This was a keycriterion because theadvisory committee feltthat if there was a severe

lack of representation ofLatinos in the field,creating a short-termimpact (two to threeyears) would be extremelychallenging. Theadvisory committeediscovered through thequalitative interviews thatthere was a high numberof Latinos in entry-levelpositions but marginalrepresentation inadvanced or professionallevels. There was also ahigh level of Latinoforeign certified healthcare professionals whohad nursing experience intheir native country. Amajor barrier to thisdistinct population wasthe relative lack ofEnglish language skills, inaddition to low literacy inEnglish and Spanish.

■ Career advancementopportunities for Latinos.The industry had to havea logical pathway fromlow- or no-skill jobs toprofessional jobs.Historically, there has notbeen a strong pathwayfrom entry-leveloccupations to advancedlevels in this industry.Upward mobility required


a significant jump ineducationalrequirements, equalingcollege level coursework.Implementation of thebridge approach allowedthose individuals whorequired intensivetraining to learn corecompetencies at amanageable pace.

■ Strong industry growthin the Chicago area.Local industry growthwas extremely importantin the decision-making

process since the pilotprogram was beinglaunched in Chicago.

■ Local resources weregenerated to supporttesting of new “bridge”models in health care.With such a heavyrepresentation in low-wage health careoccupations, Latino-serving programs wereideally positioned toexamine the effectivenessof bridge programs.

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State of Illinois Industry Projections 2002-2012*

Largest Growth Industries Number of New Jobs

Health Care and Social Assistance 124,752

Administrative and Waste Management Services 81,029

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 66,034

Accommodation and Food Services 59,845

Educational Services 56,752

Retail Trade 51,733

Table 1

* A Shared Future: The Economic Engagement of Greater Chicago and its Mexican Community.Illinois Department of Employment Security, Economic Information and Analysis Division.Analyzed by the University of Notre Dame, Institute for Latino Studies.

Developing the Partnerships

With an industry focus in place,the advisory committee began toexpand its efforts with an eye onimplementation. A managementteam was established thatfeatured representation fromInstituto, NCLR, AHC, andHPVEC. The partnership withWright College was criticalconsidering the school’s high-quality health care program andnational ranking among post-secondary institutions. Eachpartner brought unique value tothe collaboration. For example,Instituto and AHC brought adirect conduit to the communityand its assets. Both institutionshave extensive history servingthe community and

incorporating a wrap-aroundservice approach that enablesboth organizations to serveindividuals and families atmultiple levels. Thus, bothorganizations provided access toa large recruitment base.Furthermore, Instituto and AHCbrought well-developedemployer networks to thepartnership as an outgrowth oftheir years of workforcedevelopment programming. As anational intermediaryorganization NCLR brought awealth of expertise in the areasof policy, advocacy and researchand played a key role as aconvener – which created thespace for the partnership to


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develop. HPVEC brought itsexpertise in curriculumdevelopment andinstruction, and hadextensive experience inhealth care education.

Early ChallengesMoving forward, thepartnership was faced withsome early challenges.“The process for definingroles and leadershipstructure of the partnershipwas an initial challenge,”said Juan Salgado, ExecutiveDirector of Instituto. “Wealready had good relationswith the partners prior tothis initiative, which madethe trust factor a lot easier.”Tom DuBois added, “Wewere faced with thequestion of how to structurethe partnership. Eachpartner brought differentresources to the table, so itwas hard to determine whowould take the lead.”Ultimately, the managementteam decided on a flatmanagement model; eachpartner had equalrepresentation and equalvoice in the decision makingprocess.

Defining the roles of thepartnership, developing corecompetencies, and mostimportantly, identifying thefunding streams to turn thecorner fromconceptualization toimplementation were thelogical next steps in theprogram developmentprocess. “Implementing apathway model requireslayered funding to cover thebreadth of the project,”added Simon Lopez. “Wewere marketing the projectas a package, so acquiringfunding that would cover allthe layers of the partnershiprequired substantialresources. What we finallydecided was to leverageexisting resources from thepartners and look for a littleseed money to get theinitiative off the ground.Once we got the initiativeoff the ground, we wouldhave to show some earlysuccesses to make the casefor increased funding downthe road.”

The seed money eventuallycame in the form of a$90,000 grant from theCritical Skills Shortage

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Initiative (CSSI), which isadministered out of theIllinois Department ofCommerce and EconomicOpportunities. This moneyallowed the initiative tomove forward in hiring afull-time Program Director totake the lead in managing theoperations and coordinatingthe areas of development tosee the program to fruition.To this point, there had notbeen a designated pointperson who could devote100% of his/her time to the initiative. Theconceptualization of thisinitiative had been theshared responsibility of themembers of the managementteam. With afull-timedirector, the managementteam could now shift theirfocus to the strategicdirection of the initiative,while allowing the director tohandle the day-to-dayoperations of the program.

In April 2005, themanagement team hired Dr.Ricardo Estrada to be thefull-time Program Director.Dr. Estrada broughtextensive experience in thedevelopment of bridgeprograms and careerpathways through his workwith the City Colleges ofChicago. During his tenurewith City Colleges, Dr.Estrada had also developedcontextualized curricula,which he later adapted andimplemented to apply to thehealth care industry.Moreover, Dr. Estrada waswell-respected in thecommunity for his expertisein this content area andbrought instant credibility tothe initiative.

The management teamultimately decided toinstitutionalize the directorposition at Instituto wherethey felt the necessaryinfrastructure could bestsupport the position.


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Building the Career Pathway Model

To move from poverty and apoor education to a promisingcareer, the best route is a paththat ensures the participant isprepared for the occupationaldemands of the labor market.*To effectively bridge the gap thatexists between marginal, low-paying jobs and high-payingcareers, a career pathwayapproach provides a roadmapthat charts a course of action for employees to achieve their

career goals. In essence, acareer pathway is aninterconnected strategy usingeducation, training, and supportservices to better enableindividuals to enter a sector andsuccessively advance to higherlevels of education andemployment within that sector.Career pathways serve a dualpurpose. First, they allowworkers to understand andaccess the logical sequence of


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* Building a Career Pathways System: Promising Practices in CommunityCollege-Centered Workforce Development (2002). Workforce StrategyCenter.

events to advancedemployment within anindustry. Second, theycreate a pool of qualifiedworkers for employers. Atthe local level, careerpathways are critical indeveloping a knowledgebase that can contribute toa region’s economic growthand vitality. Effective careerpathways can create apipeline to develop a highlytrained, skilled workforce tomeet the region’s mostpressing economicdevelopment needs.Furthermore, they promotethe cultivation of acommunity’s greatest assets– its human resources – tobest respond to a region’sworkforce challenges.

Key features to careerpathways are:

■ Targeted jobs inindustries important tothe local economy

■ Clear connectionsbetween remedial,academic, andoccupational programs

■ Curricula defined interms of competenciesrequired for jobs andfurther education

■ Integrated bridgeprograms that teachbasic skills throughcontextualized learning*

Essential to the careerpathways model are thebridges that provide acrosswalk for participants tomove from very basic,rudimentary skills andentry-level work toadvanced training and high-wage jobs. In context, thebridges serve as careerladders that build on theknowledge and skill baseacquired at the previouslevel. The bridges also havemultiple entry and exit

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* The Career Pathways How-To Guide (2006). Davis Jenkins andChristopher Spence. Workforce Strategy Center.

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points, depending on theremedial needs of thestudent, previous educationand training, and previoussector work experience. Ahighly effective bridgestrategy incorporatescontextualized learning andteaching strategies thatintegrate basic skillsinstruction with sector-specific technical content.This allows students toobtain valuable careertraining through the processof basic education. Thus,the student is able toaddress his/her remedialneeds without falling behindin the acquisition of valuabletechnical knowledge.

Contextualized learning alsoserves to connect learningconcepts, such as math andEnglish to everyday livingsituations. This project-based approach allowsstudents to learn academicconcepts in a way thatmakes sense to theireveryday lives. For example,learning math throughcooking in the kitchen andlearning English by reading

and discussing currentevents from the newspaperare common examples of thisapproach.

According to Dr. Estrada, acontextualized learningapproach assesses the levelsof basic skills the studentshave, and how muchimprovement needs to occurto advance academically andon the career ladder. Thelearning paradigm ofpedagogy versus andragogyis important to considerwhen contextualizingcurricula. In the lower levelsof basic skills, students willmost likely benefit from anintensive application ofpedagogy, but as they moveto a higher level of basicskills, the learning paradigmshould move to a moreandragogical format sostudents will feel involvedand find the application ofthe learning connected totheir academic and jobgoals. The contextualizedcurriculum must account forthe application of context,and how much it should beincluded in the lesson plan


and class activities. In lowliteracy levels, the contextshould be a general one, butas the student moves frombeginning to middle andadvanced levels of basicskills, the curriculum shouldprogress on a continuum ofmacro context to microcontext to vocationalizationand technical context.Another important elementin the contextualization ofthe curricula is theassessment and evaluationof student progress. Incontextualized curricula, a

traditional instrument ofevaluation can be the mosteffective way to measurestudents’ skills in theliteracy and beginning levelsof basic skills, but as thestudents are introduced to micro context andvocationalization, a project-based evaluation will betterassess the skill levels of thestudent. Contextualizedcurricula also look atlearning environments, classresources, class schedules,and pre- and post-classactivities among others.

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Application of the ConceptualFramework – The Birth of

Carreras en Salud

Just prior to Dr. Estrada comingon board, the management team,with the assistance of anindependent consultant,launched its first LPN class witha modest number of students.“There was not a definedpathway or even a bridge at thattime,” explained Dr. Estrada.“My first assignment was to lookinto the data collected by theconsultant and develop aprogram that responds to theneeds described in the SectorAnalysis Report. I prepared thefirst model incorporating twobridges to the prerequisites andLPN programs at HPVEC. Thepartners were working onconnecting the different levels inthe process to advance students

from CNA to LPN. As part of theconsultant report, there was agraph listing the requirementsneeded to advance. I workedwith those requirements anddeveloped the Carreras en Saludmodel as it is now known.”

Over the course of the nextseveral months, Dr. Estradaworked with local experts todevelop the curriculum for theCarreras en Salud program. Theprogram development phaseaddressed two primary programareas – programcurriculum/content and programsupport services. Dr. Estradaleveraged relationships withformer colleagues from the CityCollege system to help developthe curriculum for the program.


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“I worked with a consultantfor the ESL/Healthcurriculum, with another forthe Pre-CNA (VESL)curriculum, and withanother for the Pre-LPNlevel A and B curricula. Itwas an exhausting process,coordinating work with allthe consultants, but wewere pleased with the finalproducts.” Once again, theprimary strategy for thedelivery of each curriculumis the contextualization ofall program content. “Myteaching might seemunorthodox to people nottoo familiar withcontextualized learning,”said Joann Tate, whodeveloped some of thebridge curricula andcurrently teaches math inthe program. “Thepopulation of students inthe program is non-traditional. Therefore, ittakes an open-minded,innovative approach toreally reach these students.”

Many of the students in theprogram need to develop thebasic life skills essential to

their economic mobility.While the technical skillsare extremely important,basic survival skills, such asbalancing a budget, makingpositive life choices, anddeveloping healthy lifestylesare priority areas that needto be addressed inconjunction with academiccontent. “On one occasion,I had a situation wherestudents could notunderstand a math concept Iwas trying to teach,” addedTate. “I told the students tobring in their gas bills to thenext class session. At thetime, Chicago residents weredealing with high heatingcosts that resulted in veryhigh gas bills. Whenstudents returned to class,we used their gas bills to setup algebraic equations. Wefigured out everyone’s billin terms of kilowatts andenergy usage. My belief isthat until you get a studentto internalize an academicconcept by applying it totheir lives, no real personaldevelopment takes place.”

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Carreras en SaludCareer Pathways Model

English as a SecondLanguage (ESL)For students testing at a sixth-grade English level, the ESLcomponent is the starting pointin the pathway. The ESL bridgeis a 16-week process, duringwhich the curriculum iscontextualized in a healthcontext. Students acquire basicEnglish language skills in thegeneral context of the heath careindustry, thus allowing studentsto learn language skills andtechnical skills concurrently.ESL is the first step in meetingPre-CNA requirements and isadministered by Instituto andHPVEC.

Vocational English as aSecond Language (VESL)VESL is a unique approach tolanguage acquisition. The goalof VESL is to teach technicallanguage for successfulparticipation in education andtraining programs whilecontinuing the process oflanguage development withintermediate-level languagestudents. In Carreras en Salud,the VESL bridge is highlycontextualized to the CNAtraining program. Occupationallanguage demands at this levelare highly emphasized incoordination with emphasis onincreasing English proficiencylevels.


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CNA for BilingualStudents ProgramThe goal of the CNA forBilingual Students Programis to prepare unemployedand underemployed Latinosas CNAs. Bilingual CNAsare of particular interest tohealth care organizationsthat treat a significantnumber of Latino patients,specifically Spanish-speaking patients. The CNAProgram is administered atHPVEC. Upon completionof the CNA Program,graduates can expect tomake $9-$12 per hour inthe Chicago area.

LPN Bridge ProgramThe LPN Bridge Program isdesigned to preparestudents to place out ofbasic English, math, andbiology courses when theytake Wright College’splacement exam forentrance into the LPNProgram. Programparticipants are able to takea customized GED course ifthey need the credentialand/or complete a technicalspecialty in phlebotomy

and/or EKG to becomepatient care technicians(PCTs).

The LPN Bridge Program isdivided into two separatemodules: Pre-LPN A andPre-LPN B. Module A is forstudents testing at ninth-and tenth-grade levels. It ismicro-contextualized basedon anatomy/physiology andpsychology content, but theintent of the module is toadvance the student fromninth-and tenth-grade levelEnglish and math to thenext module – tenth-to12th-grade levels. Thecourse lasts 14 weeks withstudents meeting 16 hoursper week. At the end of themodule, the students takethe COMPASS exam, whichis the entrance exam usedby City Colleges.

Module B is the secondmodule for students testinghigher than the tenth-to11th-grade levels that areclose to college-level mathand English. Intensivewriting, readingcomprehension, and criticalthinking are included inalmost all activities.Students are tested at the

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end of the module using theCOMPASS exam and therebyplaced in English 101 andMath 99. Students are alsoable to take biology andpsychology courses uponcompletion of the module.

The LPN Bridge Program canlast anywhere from 16 to 32weeks depending on thepreparatory needs of thestudent. At this bridge level,PCTs can command $10-$16per hour in the Chicagomarket. Both of the Pre-LPNsections are administered byInstituto.

The LPN ProgramThe LPN Program beginswith preparing studentsthrough prerequisitecoursework so they canformally apply to WrightCollege’s LPN program.There is a 32-week processwhere students focus oncoursework in biology, math,English, and psychology inpreparation for entrance intothe program. Once admittedto the program, the PracticalNursing Program at WrightCollege lasts approximatelyone year (three semesters).

The 26-hour program is anaccredited certificateprogram that allowsgraduates to transfer creditto approved associate degreeand bachelor degree nursingprograms. Graduates of theLPN Program can expect tocommand $24-$27 per hourin the Chicago market.

Program SupportServices

Intake and AssessmentEach applicant of theprogram goes through acomprehensive intake andassessment process thatincludes personal interviews,baseline academicassessments, and workforcecompetencies tests. Personalinterviews are conductedwith each applicant todetermine levels of interestin the program, to assessany social barriers that mayneed to be addressed toincrease the likelihood ofsuccess, and to provide acomprehensive overview ofthe program scope andexpectations. The academicassessments measure basiclevels in English and math


and determine if the studenthas any remedial needs.HPVEC administersadvisement for Carreras enSalud on site.

Case ManagementAssociation House of Chicagois the lead provider for casemanagement services in theCarreras en Salud model. Casemanagement is at the verycore of the model in view ofthe barriers to employmentmany students in the programface. Case managementreally allows the program toprovide a safety net forstudents by leveraging anextensive referral networkthat targets some of thesocioeconomic issues thatnegatively impact studentacademic performance. Forexample, students in need ofchild care support are oftenreferred to Instituto’s EarlyChildhood program wheretheir young children candevelop in a positive, safeenvironment. Further, thecase manager assists studentswith the coordination oftransportation, job placement,and financial assistance;

allowing the student to focuson their academics. Casemanagement is also a corefeature to the wrap-aroundservice approach AHC andInstituto employ. It is amechanism that promotes thedevelopment of the “whole”person, which includesfortifying the family to bestsupport economic and socialmobility within a community.

AdvisementThe advisor in the Carreras enSalud model is typically thefirst point of contact with thestudent. On the front end,the advisor provides an in-depth overview of theCarreras en Salud program,mapping out the programcomponents, timelines,financial obligations, andprogram support availablethrough the program.Through the course of theprogram, the advisor providesmany of the traditional collegesupport services, such asfinancial aid support,academic advisement,coordination of testingservices, and extensive follow-up services with students.

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TutoringStudents in need ofadditional academic supportcan access free tutoringprovided by the program.Tutoring is provided tostudents at all levels of theprogram and is based onstudent needs. At Institutoand AHC, AmeriCorpsvolunteers play a critical rolein providing tutoring servicesfor students in need.Leveraging AmeriCorpsvolunteers is cost-effective.This also benefits thevolunteers by providing aneducation award thatAmeriCorps members can useto subsidize college costs.

Career ExplorationCareer exploration servicesare designed to augment thelearning objectives in each of the bridge programs.Carreras en Salud providesworkshops for participantsthat focus on developing life skills, communicationskills, and other viableemployability skills. Each

partner offers careerworkshops that are availableto Carreras students. AtHPVEC, extra careerworkshops are offeredthrough their ContinuingEducation Department.

Job PlacementEach of the partnerorganizations leveragesstrong employer referralnetworks, which creates apipeline for job placements.Instituto and AHC have jobcoaches and job developerson staff that readily assistCarreras students with theirjob placement needs.

Instructors as CareerMentorsIn the Carreras en Saludmodel, the instructor plays apivotal role in the life of thestudent. In fact, in a recentformative evaluation,researchers Davis Jenkinsand Judith Kossy viewed theinstructors as the “hub” ofthe program.* Aside fromclassroom instruction,


* Davis Jenkins, and Judith Kossy. Promising Practices from the ChicagoBridge Training Program Pilots (2007). Great Cities Institute, Universityof Chicago.

Carreras instructors spendsubstantial time outside ofthe classroom mentoringstudents. A high percentageof Carreras instructors eitherwork in the health careindustry or have previousexperience as a health carepractitioner. Accordingly,students draw from thepersonal and professionalexperiences of theirinstructors to guide them intheir career development. Arecent program graduatesaid, “Knowing that thementors (instructors) werealways there for supportreally helped me getthrough the program. I wasalways able to count onthem to help navigate thesystem. I still keep incontact with Dr. Estrada andmy teachers and often askthem for advice whenmaking career decisions.”

Interestingly, the nursingshortage in Chicago is soacute that Carreras studentstypically have several joboffers prior to graduatingfrom various bridges of theprogram. In light of the jobplacement services theprogram provides, the

students in this studysuggested that they foundemployment through theirinstructors’ professionalnetworks, whichunderscores the value ofhaving instructors with apractitioner base. Inaddition to sharing theirexpertise, instructors in theCarreras program provideaccess to employers to helpbridge the gap between theclassroom and the workplace.

Role of the EmployerPartnersA substantial amount ofoutreach to employers wasdone during the designphase of the program. Inthe early stages ofdevelopment, Carreras staffregularly reached out tohealth care industryrepresentatives throughemployer breakfasts andconducted interviews withseveral employers to seekinput on the design of theprogram, including thebridge components.Further, the local WorkforceInvestment Board (WIB)assisted in this process by

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hosting several meetingsaimed at aligning resources,facilitating employerpartnerships, and providinginput for critical programdesign components.

In the implementation phase,the employer partnersprovide a significant link forstudent graduates enteringthe workforce. Using thepipeline analogy, employersare major stakeholders in thedevelopment of a highlyqualified, skilled workforce.As shown in the evaluationby Jenkins and Kossy, theCarreras en Salud program ishighly regarded for its “clearconnections to jobs throughstrong relationships withemployers.” Jenkins andKossy evaluated three pilotbridge programs as part oftheir study. Of the three,Carreras was rated highest forits links with employerpartners. Carreras currently

has strong workingrelationships with thefollowing institutions:

■ Lakeshore Health Center

■ Swedish CovenantHospital

■ Erie Family Health Center

■ Hispanic NursesAssociation

■ Metropolitan ChicagoHealth Council

■ Chicago Department ofHealth

■ Casa Central

■ Saint Joseph Home ofChicago

■ Saint Elizabeth Hospital

■ Mercy Hospital andMedical Center

Although clear connectionsto jobs are good, there is stillfurther work to be done toensure that there is a


* Promising Practices from the Chicago Bridge Training Program Pilots(2007). Davis Jenkins and Judith Kossy. Great Cities Institute,University of Chicago, p. 2.

reciprocal contribution fromemployers back to theprogram. Employers benefittremendously fromprograms like Carreras enSalud. Their employee basereceives valuable trainingand education throughparticipation in theprogram. Consequently,employer partners can playa viable role in the long-term sustainability of theprogram by investingfinancial resources tosupport the program.Moreover, employerpartners can providesupport to the program byoffering internships, hostingjob fairs, and allowingparticipants to shadowindustry professionals onthe job. While the level ofengagement is high, it couldstill be improved.

Layered fundingOne of the major strengthsof the Carreras en Saludprogram is the incrediblebuy-in and investment onbehalf of the partners. Oncethe program was initiated,

partners readily leveragedexisting resources to bringthe program to its currentscale. Additional resourceswere secured by individualpartners through theWorkforce Investment Act(WIA), private foundations,local community trusts, andfederal financial aid. Grantswere also awarded by NCLRto strengthen keycomponents of the model.Most noteworthy, however,is the lack of territorialismwithin the partnership inregard to resources. Eachpartner is extremely focusedon the greater good of theprogram and what is bestfor the students. One of themost common downfalls ofany partnership is the finger-pointing that invariablyoccurs when programpartners are investeddisproportionately – eitherfiscally or through unevenleveraging of humanresources. In Carreras, thisis clearly not the case. Theprogram has been willing toaccept any contribution nomatter the size or scopethat enables them to betterserve their constituency.

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As Table 2 suggests,developing a career pathwaymodel is resource-intensiveand requires multiple layersof funding. There is no one-

size-fits-all approach tomeeting the financial needsof a program of this nature.Each funding source has atargeted purpose and unique


Table 2Funding Source for 2005-2006

Foundation

Foundation$125,500.00

Private$20,279.00

Public$299,491.00

Public Public

Private Public Foundations

Self-pay students Critical Skills Shortage Chicago CommunityInitiative Trust

Illinois Community Lloyd A. Fry FoundationCollege Board

Funds from ITA – Mayor’s Local Initiative SupportOffice of Workforce Coalition (LISC)Development (MOWD)

Pell Grants

benchmarks which canmake reporting and trackingof outcomes challenging.However, layered fundingalso allows a program to be

more creative and flexiblewith its resources. “Themoney from the localfoundations allowed us tobe more flexible and

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Table 2 Cont.

Funding Amount for 2006-2007

Foundation$190,000.00

Private$75,000.00

Public$220,000.00

Private Public Foundations

National Council Critical Skills Shortage Chicago Communityof La Raza Initiative Trust

Funds from ITA - MOWD Lloyd A. Fry Foundation

Pell Grants Sara Lee Foundation

Illinois State Board ofEducation

Foundation Public Public

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comprehensive in terms ofthe services being providedto the students comingthrough the program,” saidSimon Lopez. “Especially inregards to the students inthe pre-bridge componentsof the program that mightnot be eligible for financialaid or other federalresources.”

This multi-pronged fiscalapproach also ensures thateach partner is an activecontributor to the fundraising

and sustainability of theprogram. In Carreras, themanagement team iscommitted to the long-termviability of the program andworks aggressively to attractnew resources to continue tobring the program to scale.Table 2 demonstrates aconcerted effort by Carreraspartners to broaden anddiversify the pool ofresources to support theprogram and decrease itsdependency on local publicfunds.


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The Carreras en Salud modelfocuses on four primaryindicators of success: retentionrates in each of the bridgeprograms; advancement ratesfrom one bridge to the next;licenses/certifications awardedto program participants; and jobplacement rates for programgraduates. Program data forfiscal year 2006 suggests thatCarreras is quite successful inretaining program participantsfor the duration of a bridgeprogram. According to the data,Carreras has a retention rate inthe LPN program that rangesfrom roughly 70% to almost

90%, depending on the cohort.Furthermore, 25 of 27 LPNstudents from cohort onecompleted the LPN program,which translates to a 92%completion rate. Graduates ofthe LPN program moved from anaverage wage of $10 per hour to$25 per hour. Other keyprogram successes include:

■ An 88% completion rate inthe VESL/Pre-CNA program.The program also had anadvancement rate of nearly70%, whereby studentscompleting the VESL programmoved on to the next bridge.

Early Program Successes


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■ Pre-LPN Cohort I had aretention rate of 91%.All participants of thePre-LPN Cohort I whocompleted the programadvanced to the nextbridge (100%).

■ ESL Health Cohort I hada retention rate of 81%.*

Admittedly, the program isstill in the early stages of thematuration process. However,Carreras en Salud has beenaggressive in its plans for datacollection, analysis, andevaluation of the project. InDecember 2006, the programparticipated in a two-dayevaluation workshop whichwas facilitated by anindependent consultant. Thetwo-day workshopculminated in the creation ofa program logic model thatclearly outlined programprocesses on a continuum

toward performanceoutcomes. The framework isnow in place for the programto effectively evaluate itsperformance on a number ofdifferent performancebenchmarks, such as wageprogression of participants,advancement levels in thebridge programs; and jobplacement rates. To a largeextent, the program hasalready tracked much of thisdata. However, the creationof the logic model and theformulation of an evaluationplan further systematize theevaluation process andprovide a logical sequence ofevents for data collection,measurement, and reportingon outcomes. The evaluationof the program has nowbecome institutionalized andwill be a major focus area forthe program moving forward.

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* Carreras en Salud 2006 Quarterly Report.

Lessons Learned


NCLR plans to replicate theCarreras en Salud model as partof its Health Care CareerPathways Initiative in otherLatino markets in the UnitedStates. Currently, a secondHealth Care Career PathwayInitiative is currently inoperation in Oakland, Californiain partnership with UnityCouncil, a regional Affiliate ofNCLR. With any replicationendeavor, it is important toreflect on some of the lessonslearned from pilot projects. Atrue career pathway model is acomplex, multilayered designthat requires:

■ Strong partnerships at theCommunity-basedorganizaiton (CBO), college,and employer levels. Whatmakes Carreras en Saludunique is the breadth anddepth of the partnership. The program benefits fromthe long-standingrelationships each of thepartner organizations hasenjoyed in its respectivecommunity. Also, theprogram has been able tomitigate challengescommonly associated withpartnership developmentsince the partners in theprogram have a long-standinghistory of working togetherthrough other initiatives.

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■ True champions ofcareer pathways at thepost-secondary level.Carreras en Salud was nota hard sell since MadelineRoman-Vargas, Dean ofHPVEC, Wright Collegetruly believes in a careerpathway approach. Thistranslates to tremendousbuy-in at the administrativeand faculty levels of thecollege. Furthermore,Roman-Vargas trulyunderstands the benefit ofcollaboration with CBOsand the value they bringto the table.

■ Layered funding. Aspreviously mentioned, aone-size-fits-all approachis not conducive to a careerpathway design. Thecosts associated withimplementing this modelare relatively high.Consequently, it is veryimportant to alignresources at the federal,state, municipal, andphilanthropic levels tosubsidize theimplementation of themodel.

■ Sector analysis andextensive pre-programplanning. Carreras enSalud has been highly

successful in large partbecause of extensiveanalysis and planning onthe front end. Themanagement team wasvery intentional in itsmethodology andapproach to developingthe model. Carreras isunique, in that theprogram design was notdriven by a fundingsource. So often,nonprofit organizationsfall prey to chasing themoney which forces themto design programsbased on a funder’sparameters, as opposedto designing programsbased on need. Clearly,Carreras designed themodel first through adeliberate, strategicprocess that focused onlocal opportunity andneed.

■ Involvement of anintermediaryorganization. While thesuccess of the programin the implementationphase is largelyattributed to the role ofthe CBOs and communitycollege, NCLR played akey role as the initiatorin the sector analysis

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process and as aconvener in the programdevelopment phase. Also,NCLR did not have a directstake in the programdelivery part of theinitiative, which allowedthem to remain objectiveon a myriad of issuesregarding the design andimplementation of theprogram. Furthermore,NCLR as a national Latinocivil rights and advocacyorganization providesgreat value to thepartnership through itspolicy, advocacy, andmobilization efforts onthe national stage.NCLR’s involvementprovides critical access tofederal policy-makers andthe national philanthropiccommunity, which allowthe CBOs and communitycollege to focus more oftheir efforts on the locallevel.

■ Clear, attainableprogressions throughoutthe career pathway.Each bridge iscontextualized to thespecific level of thepathway. Theprogression from onelevel to the next is logical

and builds on theknowledge acquired atthe previous level. Insum, programparticipants canrealistically go through alllevels of the careerpathway in as little astwo years, which is aminimal investment inrelation to the returnsyielded in wageprogression.

■ A shift in thinking bytaking an assets-basedapproach to building abilingual workforce.This initiative is trulyinnovative in its approachto building a bilingualworkforce. Itscontextualized learningstrategies in the lowertiers of the pathway areunique approaches toremediation by combiningbasic education andtechnical skills training inconcert. Moreover, thisinitiative clearlyunderstands the value ofdeveloping bilingual,health care practitionersin response to thegrowing Latino populationin Chicago. As the Latinopopulation continues togrow in America, the


need for bilingualworkers in a number ofdifferent industries willrequire innovativethinking at the policylevel to meet thedemand. NCLR is nowpositioning itself to be amajor player in thisongoing dialogue.

■ Strong employerrepresentation andengagement. To merelylook to the employerpartners to provide jobsfor bridge programgraduates is a hugemistake. Carreras en Saludwas strategic in theinvolvement of employerpartners in the designphase of the program toensure that the employerswere involved and investedin program content as wellas program outcomes. Asnoted in the study, there isstill work to be done toensure reciprocity,whereby the partnership ismutually beneficial andelicits shared responsibilityin the sustainability of theprogram. However, it is

important to note that theemployer network in thisinitiative is highly engagedand invested at multiplelevels.

■ Wrap-around, supportservices to addresssocioeconomic barriersto employment. Sooften, workforcedevelopment initiativesfall short of their desiredoutcomes because theyfail to address theprevalent issues affectingworkers trying to enterthe job market. Carrerasen Salud aims to addressthese issues andstrengthen the fabric ofsupport through casemanagement services.Case managementultimately serves as aconduit to other wrap-around services providedby the CBOs. It alsoprovides a safety net forstudents experiencingdifficulties in makingpositive life choices;which invariably affecteducation and careerchoices.

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Taking the program to scale,both locally and nationallypresents tremendous opportunityand inherent challenges. First,to broaden the scope of theCarreras en Salud program in theChicago area, funding is going tocontinue to be an issue. It hasbeen highlighted several times inthis study that career pathwaymodels require deep pockets offunding. The program has loftygoals of serving more students inthe Chicago area, which willcreate capacity issues under thecurrent management structure.The needs of the program’starget population are deeper andmore involved than thetraditional college population.As such, it is easy to make a

case that increased funding tomeet the existing scope of theproject should be a priority area.

Second, transportation issues forstudents in the programcontinue to be a primaryconcern for students andadministrators alike. HPVEC andAHC are in relatively closeproximity, geographicallyspeaking. However, Instituto is asomewhat lengthy car driveaway. Ideally, students couldbenefit from the one-stop shopapproach commonly applied inworkforce developmentprograms. Having programscentralized in one convenientlocation or at least in onegeneral geographic area couldgreatly benefit students.

Taking the Program to Scale


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Another possible solution,as suggested by a Carrerasstudent, would be to expandthe program offerings inmore of the City Collegeschools. Beatriz Martinez, astudent in the LPN programsuggested, “They (Carrerasen Salud) could make it a loteasier for people like me byhaving more collegepartners. I live much closerto Daley College (anotherschool in the City Collegesof Chicago network) whichwould make the dailycommute much easier on me.”

Wright College could be amajor player inchampioning efforts toexpand the program to moreof the colleges within theCity College of Chicagonetwork. Moreover, anatural progression in thiscareer pathway modelwould be to partner withregional post-secondaryinstitutions to offer RNcoursework andcertification. This would bean ambitious undertakinggiven the academicrequirements of the degree.However, studentsinterviewed in this study

were already on a trajectorytoward fulfilling theirdreams of being aRegistered Nurse. Furtheranalysis of current students’long-term goals can help toinform decision-making andidentify if there is a demandto add an RN bridgecomponent to the program.

Furthermore, Carreras enSalud should continue todevelop its ability toevaluate program successesand provide empiricalevidence of program impact.Future funding will becontingent upon providingthe data necessary todemonstrate impact. Anevaluation plan with datacollection systems andanalytical tools is beingpiloted with the program infiscal year 2008. Also, aformative evaluation loopfor the analysis of programprocesses and refinement ofthese processes willcontinue to strengthen theprogram as it moves towardscalability.

On a national level,producing the same type ofstakeholder alignmentacross sectors will not be aneasy task. Carreras en Salud

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enjoys unique convergenceamong stakeholders aroundcommon goals andprinciples. Policy-makers,

researchers, educators,employer networks,advocacy groups, andcommunity-based


12 months

16 weeks

16 weeks

16 weeks

Carreras en Salud Flow Chart*

GED, COMPASS TEST

ENG Grade level 10-12Pre LPN-A or CNA

ENG Grade level 8-10, CNA

ESl Gradelevel 6

LPNWright

RNSchools

PCT

CNAHPVEC

NCLEX-PN

NCLEX-PN

Pre LPNB

Math PC1, ENG

Pre LPNA

Math PC1, ENG 98

BIO 226, Math 118ENG 101, PSY 201

EKG, Phlebotomy

ESLHealth ContextInstituto/HPVEC

16 weeks

16 w

eeks

VESLCNA context

Instituto

* Ricardo A. Estrada Carreras en Salud: A Bilingual Health Care Bridge Partnership

organizations in Chicago areall strategically alignedaround strategies foraffecting positive change inLatino communities. Thecareer pathway approachrequires this type ofalignment to truly besuccessful. Moving forward,

the NCLR Health CareCareer Pathways Initiativeshould draw from thelessons learned in this pilotproject and use Carreras enSalud as a promisingpractice model in itsreplication efforts.

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Alssid, J., D. Gruber, et. al. (2002). Building a Career Pathways System:Promising Practices in Community College-Centered WorkforceDevelopment. Workforce Strategy Center.

Carreras en Salud 2006 Quarterly Report.

Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2006). A Shared Future: TheEconomic Engagement of Greater Chicago, p.41.

Chicago Jobs Council (2000). Understanding Entry-Level CareEmployment in Chicago. Chicago Jobs Council, Health Care SectorEmployment Intervention Initiative, p.14.

Estrada, Ricardo A. Carreras en Salud: A Bilingual Health Care BridgePartnership

Jenkins, D. and J. Kossy, (2007). Promising Practices from the ChicagoBridge Training Program Pilots: Report to the Joyce Foundation. GreatCities Institute, University of Chicago.

Jenkins, D., C. Spence, (2006). The Career Pathways How-To Guide.Workforce Strategy Center.

Sommers, S. and L. Zumdahl, (2003). Humboldt Park EconomicDevelopment Corporation and National Council of La RazaSector Analysis.

Valochovic, R.W. (2002). “Dental Workforce Trends and Children,”Ambulatory Pediatrics: The Official Journal of the Ambulatory PediatricAssociation, p. 154-61.

References


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Notes

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