Health & Fitness
Building One Community & NCC to train immigrant Home Health Aides
The partnership welcomes 25 students to the program's 5th cohort.
Building One Community (B1C) welcomes its 5th Home Health Aide cohort in partnership with Norwalk Community College. The program consists of immigrants from multiple countries including Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Colombia, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico and El Salvador.
B1C works for the success of each candidate and hopes they can seamlessly integrate into roles in the Home Health Aide industry after graduating from the certified program. Workforce Development Manager at B1C, Ivonne Zucco believes, “obtaining a certification through NCC not only improves their confidence, but also their earning potential.”
About half of the incoming class already works or has some experience in the field, but they have not had the opportunity to receive formal training. Two students have nursing certificates in their home country but are not able to validate them here in the United States, so they have chosen to take small steps towards starting over by obtaining their Home Health Aide certificate.
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“We are excited to begin training our 5th Cohort of students in the Home Health Aide Skills Development Program,” said President of NCC, David Levinson. This marks our third year that NCC is providing this critically needed workforce education training program for the clients of Building One Community. Our NCC instructors combined with the staff at B1C provide wrap around support services, financial and employment literacy and three stackable NCC credentials that students can immediately use in the workforce. In addition to finding work, students are also continuing their education at NCC helping them to fulfill their career and educational goals.”
The Home Health Aide program is the right combination of a friendly and supporting environment for those returning to school, as well as for those who have never received a formal education. NCC Associate Dean of Extended Studies and Workforce Education, Kristina Testa-Buzzee explains, “The work we are doing with NCC is providing life-changing opportunities for the clients of the Building One Community. While we just started training our 5th cohort I am already thinking about the graduation celebration for these students. They are truly appreciative and grateful for the training the relationships they forge. For many of the students, their children are seeing them complete college and in turn that inspires them to continue to do well in school.”
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The cohort began August 14th and will end in December with an expected January graduation at Norwalk Community College.
About Building One Community
Building One Community is a nonprofit organization, established in 2011, that provides a comprehensive resource center for immigrants in the greater Stamford area. The mission of Building One Community is to bring passionate people together to help immigrants and their families succeed in the community. For more information, visit www.Building1Community.org.
About Norwalk Community College
Norwalk Community College aspires to create a culture of inclusion and excellence through intellectual inquiry, open dialogue, multicultural awareness and lifelong learning. By embracing the diverse needs of our students, faculty, staff and community, the college will strive to provide an environment in which individuals are empowered to achieve their highest potential.
