Dive Brief:
- Workforce Opportunity Services will launch a workforce training and job placement program in Vermont, a press release announced.
- The nonprofit, which offers skill development programs to veterans and people from underserved communities, is currently accepting applications for the chance to work with "a major health care insurance company" in Berlin, Vermont — Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Vermont, according to its submissions page.
- Candidates selected for the program will be provided, free of charge, "comprehensive job training" along with a weekly stipend. After they complete the program, they'll be offered a job at the partnering insurance company.
Dive Insight:
Workforce Opportunity Services' partnering with a healthcare insurance provider aligns with recent trends. Some of the most in-demand jobs for 2019 are in healthcare and its related industries. An aging American demographic will continue to put pressure on the healthcare systems and require more workers to support billing and claims in the field. These jobs have been among the hardest to fill for several years, according to research.
Vermont's state government, too, has been home to several novel workforce-related programs. Approved state employees can bring their newborns to work, for example, as a part of its "Infants in the Workplace" program. The U.S. Department of Labor awarded a Women in Apprenticeship Nontraditional Occupations grant to fund the state's "Vermont Works for Women" program.
Talent professionals hoping to recruit more candidates from marginalized groups might consider how a nonprofit partnership like this could help their organizations access those candidates — and give them upskilling support.
