Finding Healthcare Jobs in Cleveland

Although Cleveland, Ohio’s jobless rate decreased slightly in the month of March, it still remained significantly higher than the national average. In February the city’s percentage of the population that could not find work was as high as 8 percent. According to the state’s Department of Job and Family Services, March only saw a reduction of .2 percent, meaning that 7.8 percent of residents were still without jobs in Cleveland.

It’s not there aren’t Cleveland jobs to be had. The problem seems to lie in the fact that many of those searching for employment in the area haven’t been trained for the positions that exist. At this time there are approximately 4,000 Cleveland jobs in healthcare that remain unfilled due lack of residents that have the proper certifications to work in such an environment.

Recently officials announced that the city will be receiving a $2.5 million federal grant that is expected to be used to address the shortage of workers available to fill jobs in Cleveland in healthcare. The partnership that managed to acquire the much coveted grant money includes the city government, Cuyahoga County, Cuyahoga Community College, the Cleveland Public School system, the Workforce Investment Board and several others.

The primary usage of the grant money will be to fund scholarship programs for area students that are interested in getting Cleveland jobs in healthcare. Some of the academic programs that will be receiving a share of the grant money include; electronic medical records training, courses for aspiring nursing assistants and physician’s assistants, along with occupational therapists assistants and physical therapist assistants. Although this may not be an immediate solution to the city’s shortage of qualified workers, it’s certainly a start.

In hopes of encouraging more area students towards the industry, 100 of the city’s students will be participating in summer classes that are focused on healthcare. Dr. Eugene Sanders, the Cleveland Schools CEO, believes that this is a step towards the district’s plan to offer more job-relevant courses.