Adults gain new job skills in unique Kaiser Permanente program

There were tears and cheers in a Kaiser Permanente San Jose conference room recently, as six Silicon Valley adults graduated from a unique federally-funded job skills enhancement program. The graduates, all between the ages of 25 and 45 years old, spent six weeks as unpaid interns, mentored in various departments at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center.
A federal grant of $150,000 supported the training program, which is overseen by the Santa Clara County Community Health Partnership. Fifty adults—some out of work, others in transition--- signed up for the program and most attended free classes at San Jose State University in various health-related topics. Six got internships at Kaiser Permanente San Jose, thanks to support from medical center leadership.
“The trainees will thrive as a result of their work and friendships here at KP San Jose,” said Irene Chavez , Senior Vice President and Area Manager of the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. “We hope that they’re able to leverage their experiences and skills into better-paying positions.”
Kaiser Permanente San Jose made these “internships” available to help train and educate adults for non-clinical positions in Health Care, said Angelica Diaz, the Partnership’s Director of Community Programs.
“The hope here is to move people up the economic ladder, which benefits them and the economy,” said Diaz.
Ofelia Perez of Los Gatos, worked as a kind of assistant to a Certified Nurse Assistant in the hospital’s Pediatrics Department, supporting clerical activities.
“I really learned about putting patients first,” Perez said. “I hope the skills I picked up can get me a health care job in the future.”
One of the six adult trainees has been offered a job at Kaiser Permanente, but all are under consideration if jobs open in the department where they worked. The trainees did mostly “back office” work in Hospital Administration, Nutritional Services, Human Resources, Pediatrics, and Facility Services.
“My intern, Marcos, was so professional and attentive to detail, I coached and mentored him to earn a job at Kaiser Permanente,” said Support Services Administrator Terri Simpson-Tucker, who shared a story: “One day his truck broke down and he ran all the way to Kaiser Permanente San Jose to be on time. That’s a strong work ethic.”
Marcos Ibanez laughed in agreement, saying he quit his low-paid sign-painting job to sign up for the training and mentorship program, which landed him a temporary job in KP Recruitment Services. At the graduation ceremony, each intern-trainee was accompanied by leaders of the department where they trained. Strong bonds were formed. Their training mentors had high praise about the work they did.
“I learned this: it’s not my job, it’s not your job, it’s our jobs,” said Ofelia to some applause.