The University of California, San Francisco has received a groundbreaking gift from the CrankStart Foundation to launch a workforce development program that will train nearly 2,000 San Franciscans for careers in healthcare over the next five years.
The $14 million gift will support partnerships with local nonprofits to train area residents for high-paying jobs at UCSF, including medical practice coordinators, medical assistants and radiology technicians.
The UCSF Career Pathways Initiative provides career advancement opportunities for individuals from historically underinvested communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the unemployed, underemployed and transitional youth ages 18-24. It is also open to UCSF employees looking to advance their careers.
“This historic investment in our local community will connect UCSF’s educational resources and job opportunities to people who might not have had access to them otherwise,” said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS. “We want to build a future where everyone in our community has access to learning, growth, and health, and we’re grateful to CrankStart for helping us launch this effort.”
The partners will train workers to fill key roles in the health care sector.
This pledge creates a direct pathway to careers at UCSF and UCSF Health and supports UCSF’s mission as an anchor institution to invest in the economic success of our local communities. It also helps fill significant gaps in the health care workforce in these professions.
“This program supports community members and current employees seeking opportunities for career advancement.”
Suresh Gunasekaran, President and CEO, UCSF Health
The training partnership is made up of a network of organizations including the Bay Area Medical Academy, Jewish Vocational Services, Bay View YMCA, Young Community Developers, City College of San Francisco and the San Francisco Unified School District.
Upon successful completion of the training, participants will have the opportunity to interview for vacant positions at UCSF Health clinics and hospitals, as well as positions supporting research investigations at UCSF.
“Our commitment to equity and the health of our community extends beyond the walls of our hospital. Creating new pathways to fill critical health care workforce shortages will ultimately lead to more care for more patients,” said Suresh Gunasekaran, CEO of UCSF Health. “We’re proud that this program supports community members and current employees seeking opportunities to advance their careers.”
UCSF Health is committed to using this donation to continue its workforce development programs into the future.
What’s exciting about the UCSF Career Pathways Initiative is that it’s free for participants, including current UCSF staff.
“This initiative is designed to not only bring new talent from our community into the health care profession, but also help advance the careers of our existing employees,” said Jeffrey Chiu, vice chancellor and assistant vice chancellor for human resources at UCSF and UCSF Health. “We are committed to fostering growth from the outside in and from the inside out, ensuring all participants have the resources and support they need to succeed and thrive across our organization.”
New career paths offer high-paying jobs
Each program includes coursework, hands-on clinical skills training and the opportunity to shadow professionals working at UCSF.
For example, a potential radiologist could take preparatory classes at a community college, then attend an 18-month training program at UCSF and qualify for an entry-level diagnostic imaging position that pays more than $100,000 per year.
The program aims to encourage early career exploration by exposing students at UCSF’s new SFUSD Mission Bay Linked Learning Hub to the health professions, with additional support provided by UCSF’s Center for Science, Education and Outreach, Department of Radiology and Human Resources.
“We recognized this vision as one that would support UCSF’s critical hiring needs and fill key positions at the school,” said Missy Narula, CEO of CrankStart. “This program will build strong, connected pathways to quality careers for community members who have historically had limited access to these jobs.”
UCSF hopes to extend Crankstart’s generous donation to additional philanthropic efforts to help bring the program to more people quickly. The grant from the Crankstart Foundation will cover three-quarters of the development program’s costs. The Crankstart Foundation and UCSF hope other interested parties will also support the program.
For more information about the program, visit UCSF Workforce Development
