Laurel Highlands Workforce & Opportunity Center Graduation-June 22, 2024
This past Saturday we graduated nine students with certifications as Clinical Medical Assistants at the Laurel Highlands Workforce and Opportunity Center located on Donahoe Road in Greensburg PA. As you know the center was founded by my wife and I, having been inspired by the amazing story of Bill Strickland. After reading his book “Make the Impossible Possible, One Man's Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger and Achieve the Extraordinary”, we became members of what we affectionately call the Bill Strickland movement. If you haven’t read his book, take time to read it, I am sure you will be inspired by him as well.
Mr. Strickland served as our commencement speaker for the graduation. Like so many other Americans that have achieved greatness he's a giver not a taker. He's a community leader, the former president of the Manchester Corporation and Bidwell Training Center located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, where he served as CEO for 50 years. He's a winner of the MacArthur genius award, the Strong Men and Women's award, he was the Pittsburgher of the year in 2007 and he won the Goi Peace award in 2011. Bill applauded the students hard work over the 28-week training program he commented that “as graduates you are now prepared with skill sets and know how to pursue a lifelong career in the medical field providing for yourself and your family all while having a beneficial impact on our community.” He encouraged them “not to be afraid to tell their story, sharing it will inspire others and impact other stories around them.” He encouraged them “to be a mentor, a friend and above all else support others in their educational paths.”
The mission of the center is to remove the barriers for individuals who are under or unemployed or who may be transitioning back into the workforce. We do this by offering tuition free programs that are designed to deliver high quality job training in months instead of years, so that our students may enter the workforce faster and with the confidence and skills they need to build a lifelong career. We design our programs directly for the needs of Westmoreland County employers, with help from local professionals to ensure that each of our graduates are job ready from day one. In addition to the cost of the program, the center covers the needed supplies such as books, scrubs, medical equipment, and even provides a computer for the students to use while they are there. We also offer life skills and wrap around services such as childcare, counseling and transportation.
All nine graduates received jobs with the Independence Health System in Westmoreland County. This would not have been possible without our major financial supporters, the Allegheny Foundation, the Dickert Family Foundation, the Synan Family Foundation, the Smiy Family Foundation, UPMC and Independence Health System Hospitals and the many individuals and collaborative organizations that provided support in developing our medical training program and providing us a best-in-class training facility.
A new class of 16 students begins today. With each new class of cohorts expanding, we are making a difference in our community.
Pat Wallace