TRAINING FUTURE HEALTHCARE WORKERS BY EXPANDING TUITION-FREE ACCESS TO COLLEGE

With urgent healthcare workforce needs now and in the future, the Illinois legislature has turned to community colleges to efficiently train the new workforce. The Pipeline for the Advancement of Healthcare Workforce (PATH) grant is reducing financial barriers for CLC students looking to enter the healthcare industry. The Illinois Community College Board allocated more than $1.5 million to CLC for student scholarships and support.

Demanding work conditions were created by the pandemic, causing positions, though well-paying, to become less attractive. The conditions also pushed many workers toward retirement, creating gaps to be filled to ensure quality medical care.

Students enrolled in eligible healthcare program courses can receive PATH grant funding for tuition, fees, books and uniforms used in clinical education, plus a stipend for childcare, technology and other essential costs.

“If there was a financial barrier for anyone to pursue these programs, it’s no longer there,” said Biological and Health

Sciences Dean Jeet Saini. “This program gives a generous, all-around financial package to somebody who wants to get a job in healthcare.”

Lake County has a vast healthcare system, so students completing healthcare programs can easily find jobs close to home. Programs supported by the grant have potential for career growth, including nursing, healthcare office assistant, emergency medical technician, nursing assistant and phlebotomy technician.

The grant also funds CLC’s efforts to enhance students’ access to personal laptops and to purchase modern supplies and equipment for use in healthcare labs.

Elizabeth Cannon

Discovering A New Path

When Elizabeth Cannon first came to CLC in 2005, her goal was to become a graphic designer. After taking courses, she began rethinking her aspirations. She got a job at a collections law firm where she realized her interest in studying law.

Cannon had already explored careers by taking a wide variety of courses, and she discovered CLC had a legal studies program.

“Anyone that doesn’t find the right career on their first attempt may get shy and slow down,” Cannon said. “For me, changing was the perfect call, and I found my dream job.”

What Cannon enjoyed most about her time at CLC was the expertise of her instructors and the connections she made. Many of the faculty are practicing attorneys in Lake County.

After graduating from CLC, Cannon earned a bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Administration in August 2018 from Columbia College of Missouri, taking courses at the satellite campus in Gurnee. Thanks to a transfer agreement with CLC, all her credits transferred, and she was able to finish quickly.

As a student, Cannon routinely attended Lake County Bar Association networking events, something she still does today. There, she makes new connections and keeps in touch with her former instructors.

In December, she earned a law degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law.