Workforce Council
January 7, 2008
9:00 a.m. Conference Call
Minutes
Present: Jimmy Adams, Cher Brock, Bill Coppola, Becky Gustamante, Julie Leidig, Susanne Thaler, Abdul Tamimi, Christina Todd
Susanne opened the meeting stating that agenda was focused around items that needed to be revisited from the December meeting. She also indicated that the future status of the Workforce Council would be determined when Dr. Key arrived, and that the various program recommendations would be submitted through him.
New Program
•1. Review of updated new/expansion program list
- Status of council approved programs
Action Item
Susanne will submit cardiovascular technology, echocardiography, corrosion technology and diesel mechanic program recommendations for approval at the executive level.
•2. Medical Staff Services
Action Item
Becky will contact Liz Maloney at MC and Vivian Lilly at NHC to explore and forward update electronically.
•3. Assisted Living Facilities Management
- Licensing standards were reviewed.
- Instructor qualifications: As none required by state, this is left to the discretion of the institution.
- State mandate is 24 contact hours for certificate and 12 CEUs per year.
- This would appear to be an excellent opportunity for an online course to be offered statewide, particularly for required CEUs.
- McLennan College may be source for curriculum, as would Mountain View College.
Action Item
North Harris will lead exploration (Cher Brock, Vivian Lilly and Christina Hinkson).
•4. Sheet Metal Workers
- This is a high growth field with potential in our service area.
- Only three responses were received out of the 30 contacts made.
- One employer preferred unskilled workers to train, while another suggested that the automation in the field has replaced many sheet metal workers. The union training coordinator indicated a high need for workers in industry and that recruitment of new workers is a priority.
- Collective bargaining agreements are in place so that may be a reason for the lack of response from industry regarding training.
- HVAC field is a large employment source for sheet metal installation.
Action Item
Susanne will meet with the union training coordinator and report findings.
•5. Healthcare Informatics
- This is an emerging field with two aspects, implementation and management.
- Susanne met with UT School of Sciences as they have a master's program and are looking to partner with other institutions for their electronic medical office internship program. UT can work with any institution, however, service area constraints may pose an issue for direct involvement, particularly since HCC Health Careers campus is across the street from UT.
- Questions were posed as to whether this is industry specific to hospitals and the minimum educational requirements for IT support staff. IT support staff would be responsible for implementation and then system management. Opportunities need to be further defined.
Action Item
Susanne will investigate further by contacting hospital CIOs and software companies.