Human Services Eligibility Worker graduates are rapidly
becoming sought after by Minnesota Human Service Agencies, and PTC works to
prepare their graduates for positions working in state or county agencies.
“Minnesota counties have been on a hiring spree lately,
preparing for an influx of newly-insured residents to begin applying for
coverage under the Affordable Care Act,” reported 5 Eyewitness News. They also
report that, according to Rex Holzemer, assistant county administrator for
Human Services in the state's largest county, “the added workers will be needed
to help an estimated 23,800 newly-insured residents get registered for the
health care they're eligible for.”
Now, counties all across Minnesota are scrambling to find
qualified employees to accommodate the need to register the estimated thousands
of newly insured Minnesota residents.
Back in August, at the beginning of fall semester, PTC
launched their updated HSEW program. “With the updated curriculum and
subsequent renaming of the program, we are more prepared than ever to train and
develop our students for this valuable human service work,” informed Rita
Watson, Human Services Eligibility Worker faculty member. “The HSEW program is
for individuals who enjoy working with people and computers, plus have an
interest in helping people in times of financial need,” she added.
In early September, Watson and HSEW faculty member Malinda
Gahm attended the Minnesota Sponsors Conference in Brainerd to get the word out
about the HSEW program. At the conference, “We spread the word about the HSEW
program beyond just HSEW county supervisors. We were able to tell supervisors
in various social service areas about the program,” said Gahm. “I think that
will be a great help into spreading information about the program. It was also beneficial because most of the
supervisors in northern and southern counties were able to hear about the
online option so individuals can take the courses virtually.”
In late September, Watson and Gahm attended the Minnesota
Financial Worker and Case Aide Association’s conference. “Our goal to educate
the workers themselves on the program and the online availability,” remarked
Gahm.
Watson explained that these conferences were for employer
support vs. student recruitment. The purpose of the employer recruitment was to
get employers interested in hiring graduates from the HSEW program. During
their presentation, Watson and Gahm emphasized that HSEW graduates would make
desirable employees because these students are dedicated to their career, and
county human service agencies can save time and money with reduced training
costs.
With PTC’s updated program, HSEW graduates will have a
higher job outlook now more than ever. The HSEW program guides students to
develop an understanding of the complex rules and policies governing public
assistance as well as gaining computer skills.
The HSEW program is comprised of a 40-credit diploma and
60-credit Associate of Applied Science Degree. For more information, contact
the program at
HSEW@pinetech.edu, or
call1-800-521-7463.
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| Watson and Gahm presented their HSEW at each conference this fall. |
