A special certificate ceremony was held at Goodwill SOLAC’s Long Beach headquarters to congratulate students who enrolled in the training program after completing healthcare academies at Cabrillo, Jordan and Poly high schools.
Family and friends attended the event to cheer on the students as they officially graduated from the training program.
LBUSD collaborated with Goodwill SOLAC in 2013 to start a healthcare academy program in partnership with the three local high schools.
The healthcare academies were designed to help provide a career path for low-income high school students who did not necessarily have college plans but demonstrated an interest in working in the healthcare field.
Once the students successfully concluded their high school healthcare academies, they were eligible to enroll in Goodwill SOLAC’s CNA program.
“LBUSD is committed to preparing our students to be college- and career-ready, and we saw a need to connect our high school students interested in health care to a training program that would propel their career pathway forward,” said Ruth Ashley, deputy superintendent of Education Services for LBUSD. “We’re proud of our students who have graduated from this healthcare program and are now moving forward to work in their chosen career field.”
Earlier this month, the students took the State of California CNA examination to become eligible to graduate from the training program. Days before the graduation ceremony, all 13 students learned that they passed the statewide examination, according to Goodwill SOLAC.
“It’s a real joy to see these young people excited about our healthcare training program,” said Goodwill SOLAC Board Member Jim Hendrickson, who attended the graduation event. “It’s inspiring to know that these graduates will now have an opportunity to make a contribution in the healthcare community.”
Wayne Chaney, another board member who also attended the event, credited Goodwill SOLAC for offering a training program that mentors students to help them succeed in the healthcare industry. “This program is so important because it identifies future healthcare professionals who can ultimately excel in their career field,” he said.
The new graduating class serves as the third high school cohort that has completed Goodwill SOLAC’s CNA training program since the organization partnered with the school district three years ago.
Source: Goodwill SOLAC
