Joan Samuels | Director, Corporate and Business Development

The MCS Healthworks Initiative currently provides customized training and job placement services to unemployed and under-employed individuals in high-wage, high-growth occupations within the healthcare industry. The MCS LA Healthworks H-1B Technical Skills Training grant is funded by a $5,000,000 grant from the Employment and Training Administration of the United States Department of Labor. Sixty-five percent (65%) of the total cost of the program is financed with Federal Funds. The program is designed to provide on-the-job training services to 1,000 Los Angeles residents, in partnership with major hospitals, healthcare information technology service providers, and healthcare corporations.

Currently, the program includes 25 partner institutions with access to 170 hospitals, 51 community clinics, and 100 long-term care facilities; 12 colleges with annual enrollment surpassing 50,000 students; and a number of community-based organizations providing services in the healthcare field. To date, MCS Healthworks has successfully placed 639 LA County residents into OJT with over 100 healthcare sector firms, including hospitals, clinics, and other organizations. The placement average wage is $20.26 ($42,140 per year) with a 93.4% retention rate.

The MCS Healthworks Initiative focuses on high-growth, high-need healthcare occupations, with a combined projected 124,800 openings from 2010-2020 for the five occupations with the highest regional shortage; these average a projected growth of 36.3%. MCS is an active leader in developing career pathways as well as training programs with stackable credentials for these high-growth occupations, including customized training programs, on-the-job training programs, and work-based learning. In cooperation with local-area healthcare partners, the HWSC maintains up-to-date data on trends in the local healthcare industry, and remains well-poised to respond to gaps in training needs, available sector openings, and employer hiring needs.

An Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.