Trocaire College and Health Sciences Charter School have announced a new collaboration designed to enhance educational experiences and opportunities in the healthcare field for high school students by giving them a jumpstart on the college curriculum.
The goal of this partnership is to create a pipeline of students who successfully achieve their Health Sciences diploma and Trocaire certificate or degree to help fill a need for skilled and diverse healthcare workers in Western New York. “There’s a natural synergy between Trocaire College and Health Sciences Charter School, as both our institutions are committed to education as a path to success, career training and providing qualified graduates to Western New York’s workforce,” said Bassam M. Deeb, Ph.D., president, Trocaire College. “This partnership will help us to reach these goals, while providing a transformative experience for the students on their path towards healthcare careers of achievement and lives of purpose.” As part of the partnership, initial plans include providing Trocaire credit for approved Health Sciences classes, offering select Trocaire classes at the school, and enabling qualified Health Sciences students to take classes at Trocaire in their junior and senior years. For example, this semester Health Sciences students are taking a health disparities class featuring guest Trocaire lecturers. Additional opportunities to expand on the partnership will be explored in the coming months. “I am confident the learning of our Health Sciences students will broaden thanks to the opportunities this partnership with Trocaire will provide, and it will continue to be a priority for all involved,” said Jaime Venning, head of school, Health Sciences Charter School. “Students will embrace their current skill sets and receive college readiness and course credit, all while progressing towards their future aspirations. I look forward to seeing what this collaboration brings to our students.” The impetus for founding Health Sciences in 2010 was to address the critical shortage of skilled workers for the many health-related positions that remain unfilled in Western New York. With hands-on commitment from local healthcare industry partners, Health Sciences exposes students to healthcare career opportunities through specialized classroom curriculum, laboratory-based researching, mentoring programs and real-world internships.