Hartford Public High School student Rodrigo Fabian stood face to face with Hartford HealthCare President and CEO Jeffrey Flaks in a quiet moment at the school.
“What’s your dream? What do you want to learn?” asked Flaks of the rising sophomore.
“I want to help people. I want to know how medicine works,” replied the 15-year-old student.
This coming school year, Fabian and other students will embark on a three-year program sponsored by Hartford HealthCare. The Allied Health pathway at Hartford Public High School, staffed by education nonprofit ReadyCT and supported by Hartford HealthCare, will provide high-quality work-based learning experiences for students interested in career opportunities in healthcare.
“This pathway and partnership will change people’s lives. This program helps ready students who will graduate from this program extraordinarily well-prepared and will be able to advance within the healthcare field,” said Flaks. “The amount of intervention, skill training, professional mentorship, exposure that we are going to provide in this program is going to ensure that we can harness all the enthusiasm these students have and so they are well-prepared when they graduate for that next level opportunity.”
This is the second career pathway offered at Hartford Public High School, joining the existing Engineering & Green Technology pathway, also supported by ReadyCT. HPHS Principal Flora Padro is enthusiastic about the program and its impact on her students.
“Every student in the pathway, regardless of career or college goals, will have a chance to leave high school with a set of industry-recognized credentials as well as work-based experiences,” she said. “These are real and tangible things that engage students. They make learning relevant and help every student see their potential.”
Students will follow a rigorous career-themed curriculum informed by an industry advisory board. The board, which includes business and civic leaders, serves as an essential bridge between school and the workplace. While students are learning they are also building relationships and learning from successful adults in the field. Hartford HealthCare Vice President for Human Resources (Hartford Region) Melanie Tucker serves as the board chair for the Allied Health pathway.
For Fabian, the pathway provides a way to explore a career in healthcare while he is still in high school. “I am interested in being a part of the medical field. I want to be able to help people recover and feel better in the future. I am looking to take in all the knowledge I can.”
Supporting those intentions is important to Hartford HealthCare and Flaks, who said, “We want to invest in our emerging students like Rodrigo and help them accelerate their capabilities with guidance and support so they can realize all their dreams and ambitions.”
More information on the Allied Health pathway can be found here.