UC San Francisco has received a transformative gift from the Crankstart Foundation to create a workforce development program to train about 2,000 San Francisco residents over the next five years for careers in health care.
The $14 million pledge will support partnerships with local nonprofits to train community members for well-paid roles as medical practice coordinators, medical assistants and radiology technologists at UCSF.
The UCSF Career Pathways initiative will provide career advancement for people from historically underinvested communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, including people who are unemployed, underemployed and transitional aged youth between the ages of 18 and 24. It also will be open to UCSF employees seeking career advancement.
"This historic investment in our local community will link the educational resources and employment opportunities at UCSF to people who might not otherwise have access to them," said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS. "We want to build a future where learning, growth and health are accessible to everyone in our community, and I am grateful to Crankstart for helping us to get this initiative started."
Partners will train workers to fill critical roles in health
The pledge supports UCSF's mission as an anchor institution to invest in the economic success of our local communities by creating a direct pathway to careers at UCSF and UCSF Health. It also will help bridge a significant gap in the health care workforce for these roles.
The training partnership comprises a network of organizations, including the Bay Area Medical Academy, Jewish Vocational Services, YMCA-Bayview, Young Community Developers, City College of San Francisco and the San Francisco Unified School District.
Upon successfully completing the training, participants will be granted an interview for vacant positions at UCSF Health clinics and hospitals, as well as for roles supporting research studies at UCSF.
"Our commitment to equity and the health of our community extends beyond the walls of our hospitals. Creating new pathways to fill critical shortages in healthcare roles ultimately helps us provide more care for more patients," said UCSF Health CEO Suresh Gunasekaran. "We're proud that this program supports members of our community and our current work force who are looking for an opportunity to advance in their careers."
UCSF Health has committed to leveraging the gift to ensure the workforce development program continues in the future.
An exciting aspect of the UCSF Career Pathways initiative is that it will be free of charge for participants, including current UCSF staff.
"This initiative is designed not only to bring new talent into the health professions from our community but also to support our existing workforce in advancing their careers," said Jeffrey Chiu, vice president and assistant vice chancellor of Human Resources at UCSF and UCSF Health. "We are committed to fostering growth from both outside in and inside up, ensuring that all participants have the resources and support needed to succeed and thrive across our organization."
New career paths will offer well-paid jobs
Each program will include coursework, hands-on clinical skills training and the opportunity to shadow professionals working at UCSF.
After taking preparatory classes at community college, for example, radiology technologists candidates could enter an 18-month training program at UCSF that would qualify them for entry-level diagnostic imaging jobs paying more than $100,000 a year.
The program seeks to spark early career exploration for students at the new SFUSD Mission Bay Linked Learning Hub at UCSF by exposing them to the health care professions. Additional support will be provided by UCSF's Center for Science, Education and Outreach, Department of Radiology and Human Resources.
"We recognized that this vision supported the critical hiring needs of UCSF to fill key roles in their institution," said Missy Narula, Crankstart CEO. "This program will build a strong, connected pathway into a quality career for community members who have historically had less access to these jobs."
UCSF will seek to expand on Crankstart's generous gift with further philanthropy, so the program can quickly reach more people. The grant from the Crankstart Foundation will cover three-fourths of the costs of the development program. The Crankstart Foundation and UCSF are excited at the prospect for other interested parties to support the program, as well.
