Hospitals are urged to take part in free program
A system that tracks the health-care job vacancy picture in the Twin Cities is helping tailor educational offerings to employers' needs. The Minnesota Hospital Association encourages members to get involved.

The system, managed by Minneapolis nonprofit Project for Pride in Living through a city of Minneapolis grant, provides a quarterly snapshot of where the health-care jobs are in the metro area alone. That information isn't available elsewhere, organizers say. The "matrix" also indirectly links job seekers with employers.

And it's free.

It works like this: Participating hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care organizations send Project for Pride in Living details about their vacancies, including duration of vacancies and job qualifications. Composite information is then compiled and shared with the health-care providers and participating local colleges via spreadsheet.

"Employers report the level of difficulty they have in filling the jobs," said Cindy Bloom, PPL health careers partnership project coordinator. "If they list a four or a five, my ears perk up because it means there aren't enough [qualified] people out there.

"The colleges can get a sense of which employer does the most hiring on that job title," she added. "They use the information to tweak their curriculum right away. That addresses the employer need in a relatively short period of time."

For example, at one point findings showed persistent openings for central service technicians and electro neural diagnostic technicians. That knowledge spurred the Minneapolis Community and Technical College to begin offering courses in those fields.

Job counselors surveyed about the value of the 2 1/2-year-old initiative reported that between January 2006 and last fall, 33 people were referred for open positions at participating employers. Eight were referred to specific schools.

Organizations beyond city limits may take part if they are accessible to Minneapolis by public transit. About 20 health-care providers and 20 colleges participate now.

Overall, the matrix data confirm the conventional wisdom that nurses are in shortest supply. Others in high demand: nurses with master's degrees, lab workers and radiology specialists. The data also show that many metro job seekers need remedial reading and math education.

For more information, contact Bloom at (612) 455-5312 or Cindy Bloom.