Links to the Briefs can be found in the PDF; scroll to July 27-28, 2010.

The High Schools & Careers: High Schools & Careers: The New Value Proposition summit aimed to strengthen ideas for reforming our education system and strengthening career development programs. Summit participants devoted a full day to debate, listening, thinking and idea sharing. They heard from and interacted with a series of expert speakers, reviewed promising education reform examples from around the country, and formed several work groups to develop specific reform recommendations. This summit report provides a brief synopsis of the day and an analysis of recommendations put forward by summit participants. Significant attention was focused on strengthening auxiliary, primarily community-based, systems that are essential parts of meeting today?s students? education and career development needs.

Focus Groups of Regional Youth, Healthcare Training Program Participants, and Incumbent Workers
The Center for Career Learning is interested in the influences and decision-making patterns that put healthcare workers on their career path. This study gathered information from high school students, adult students and current healthcare workers in small focus groups of eight to twelve participants. Four focus groups ? one group of middle and high school-aged students, one group of adult Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) candidates, and two groups of incumbent healthcare workers in technical and assistant professions were conducted.

This provocative framing paper was prepared to encourage thought on how education systems' emphases might be failing our workforce realities. Although focused on the health sector, the discrepancies presented in this paper apply to all sectors. Regionally, the Pittsburgh Regional Compact is working to address these issues in sectors throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. We hope that you will find the framing paper an invigorating start to a timely discussion on student college and career preparation and achievement.

HCF and its partners convened a taskforce to investigate the feasibility and potential impact of a media campaign to attract new healthcare workers for Southwestern Pennsylvania. Findings indicated that a mass recruitment initiative did not fit Southwestern Pennsylvania?s purposes, at least in relation to the imaging sector, as hospitals and training providers currently conduct successful recruitment activities to meet their needs and have limited availability of clinical internships.

Health Careers Futures took a survey of healthcare workers and students in high-demand imaging, respiratory therapy, and medical laboratory fields to understand the career pathways taken by regional health workers.

After the 2003 Magnet Summit, HCF initiated a study to determine the effect of the summit on Magnet development in the region. The results from the study show that regional hospitals are seeking Magnet Status. Thirteen regional hospitals have begun the application process (several to submit applications shortly). Primary reasons for pursuing Magnet Status include: improved patient care, support from the Magnet network, staff attraction and retention, and match between hospital and magnet principles.