JCMC representative attends White House meeting

Lourdes Valdes, manager of Employment and Training Development at Jersey City Medical Center, a Barnabas Health facility, was selected to attend a “President’s Call to Action” Summit at the White House on April 24.
Representatives from more than 100 employers, who employ more than five million workers and empower frontline workers across their businesses to climb the career ladder and earn higher wages, attended the White House Upskill Summit.
Valdes shared the successes of several programs she coordinated at the hospital in which frontline workers received skills needed to advance their careers.
“The Summit organizers were very interested in our programs which educate and prepare our diverse workforce with the skills needed to move into such key roles as Patient Care Techs, Medical Billers and Coders, and EMT’s,” said Valdes. “In addition to the recognition we received, the goal of this conference was to share program success with other industries and hospitals around the country.”
The program at Jersey City Medical Center, part of a grant in partnership with the Greater Newark Alliance, allows frontline workers to grow in their careers. This has so far allowed over 40 hospital employees, who completed six months of intensive training, receive certification and increase their annual salaries substantially.
The UpSkill America summit, the first of its kind, focused on ensuring that U.S. frontline workers meet growing economic needs and gain access to family-sustaining wages and viable careers. Business leaders and other stakeholders at the conference discussed best practices that build workforce capacity via on-the-job skills development and advance training. These practices include investing resources, adapting policies that help workers attain skills, and creating a vibrant workforce that is able to continuously learn and innovate.
Vice President Joseph Biden presided over the conference. He told the group that while U.S. has over six million companies, the 100 employers at the conference represented the nation’s leaders in providing training and education to their employees.