Job Placement and Readiness
Community employment is a key part of our work. By helping our members with their career and self-improvement goals, we can improve their social determinants of health — and by extension, their overall health and well-being. That's why we sponsor a variety of job training and workforce development programs across the country.
We currently engage in several noteworthy workforce programs, many of which are a part of our wider diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Members can check with their specific health plan for information on programs in their area.
Examples of programs for adults of college age and above include:
- Pathways to Work, which provides a 12-week internship, along with mentoring, coaching, workshops, and training to increase members’ job readiness.
- Next Steps, which helps people transition from government work programs into the workforce. This job-readiness program offers training and part-time work for unemployed individuals (including veterans) in Philadelphia.
Our Medicaid members’ GED journeys are important.
With the help of a dedicated Community Health Educator who believes in them, plan members in our Mission GED program receive the assistance they need to get their high school equivalency diploma. We’re here from the first step through to the celebration, offering caring support to help our members become the best versions of themselves. Because with the right support, the load gets lighter, goals get closer, and members take the first important step toward reaching a dream.
Contact Member Services at your health plan to get started.
For youth, we offer:
- WorkReady Program. This partnership with the Philadelphia Youth Network hosts a six-week program for Philadelphia high school students, which teaches critical professional skills and motivates them to explore their interest in the health care field.
- The Urban League of Philadelphia Adopt-A-School Program. This initiative creates partnerships between local organizations and the School District of Philadelphia’s 12 GEAR UP high schools. With our support, this program aims to improve local communities and help prepare students for the workforce.
We also support local small businesses and provide opportunities to help them grow and prosper, which translates to more jobs in our communities and more employment opportunities for our members.
Member success story
Jared,* a member from Michigan, had recently been released from prison after nearly two decades. Unable to find employment, he was hopeless and frustrated, and started using marijuana. Our community service coordination team connected him to an inpatient substance abuse facility for his drug use, and to his local MiWorks office to help with his job search. MiWorks specialists helped him refine his resume and job goals and connected him to a commercial truck driving school. Having completed the drug cessation program, Jared is now a licensed commercial truck driver, and he relocated to Indiana for a full-time position.
*Member name has been changed to protect privacy.