Overview
Employment is a major determinant of health, and we are intentional about recruiting and developing local talent in the communities we serve. Hiring locally is one of our goals, and we have several initiatives to provide our community members with family-sustaining jobs that have opportunities for growth and advancement.
To meet our local hiring goals, we have focused on community outreach and developing equitable career pipelines and pathways. Outreach efforts include job fairs and canvassing in neighborhoods and community centers to bring employment opportunities to job seekers. In 2022, we participated in 260 hiring events in Ohio, 91 events in Florida and 81 events nationally. We also held three community career expos, which resulted in 168 community members accepting mission-critical roles.
We have also made positions more accessible and are filling them faster by focusing on skills-based hiring. To date, we have rewritten more than 260 job descriptions to emphasize desired job skills and remove unnecessary degree requirements.
These combined efforts made an impact on our local hiring efforts in 2022, during which we hired a total of 1,748 City of Cleveland residents—a 62% increase from 2021.
Youth Education
Education and workforce development are vital to the success of students, while also promoting collective growth and sustainability within communities. These levers are essential for reducing barriers, combating structural racism (which has been identified as a public health concern) and addressing the worker shortages we are facing in the field of healthcare. Our programs provide a wide range of authentic learning experiences at Cleveland Clinic facilities, in schools and virtually.
Connected Career Rounds
Since 2021, Cleveland Clinic Community Heath and Partnerships has offered Connected Career Rounds (CCR), a free program that enables middle and high school students to virtually join a team of caregivers to learn about how they coordinate to provide patient care. Goals of the program include engaging students in virtual explorations of healthcare careers and increasing awareness of careers within groups currently underrepresented in medicine.
CCR sessions cover a variety of health topics and featured professions, highlighting the diversity of caregiver career paths and the ways in which each caregiver contributes to care in their unique role. The sessions also include valuable information about different careers, such as average income, education requirements and education/certification programs that are available locally.
Students, teachers and educators could access an on-demand library of recordings throughout the year in addition to live sessions to explore different healthcare careers and today’s most challenging healthcare issues. In addition to the sessions, the CCR on-demand website includes information on in-demand Cleveland Clinic jobs, caregiver testimonials and other education and career exploration resources.
Student Pathways
Launched in 2020, the Student Pathways Program provides 11th and 12th grade students the opportunity to gain meaningful skills and exposure to a variety of healthcare careers before graduation. Through the 6-week program, participants have the opportunity to meet current Cleveland Clinic caregivers to learn about both clinical and non-clinical careers via virtual workshops and onsite observations. In addition, our Talent Acquisition Team provides training to aid students in developing resume writing, interviewing and personal branding skills.
Through this program, students also gain exposure to direct-to-employment positions, which can be available immediately after they graduate from high school.
Internships
Cleveland Clinic Community Health and Partnerships offers two annual paid summer internship programs to provide workforce readiness and career preparedness, increase employability and assist with the transition to college and/or employment. The Cleveland Clinic Louis Stokes and Science Summer Internship Programs both give Northeast Ohio high school students the opportunity to learn and work alongside world-renowned caregivers at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus, regional hospitals and family health centers. Post high school and/or college graduation, participants in our programs have advanced to the world of work, higher education and/or have been hired as caregivers in clinical and non-clinical roles at Cleveland Clinic. Several have been accepted to and have graduated from Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner College of Medicine, and many have published and presented research with their Cleveland Clinic mentors.
Through these summer experiences, students can:
- Gain exposure to healthcare fields and careers.
- Manage learning opportunities and responsibilities.
- Establish or continue mentoring relationships.
- Network with Cleveland Clinic caregivers.
- Refine various skills, such as project management, teamwork, and oral and written communication.
The programs enable students to cultivate their 21st century skill set through virtual learning opportunities and real-world applications for their academic knowledge. They also gain experience and learn about a variety of topics, including health and wellness, the arts, innovation, financial literacy and more.
Post-Secondary Education and Training
Cleveland Clinic offers a suite of post-secondary training programs for various interests and schedules. We also offer certifications, associate degrees and post-graduate training, including research, residency and fellowship programs. Through our programs, we offer classroom and clinical rotations for students enrolled in an affiliated health sciences program.
