Jobs & Healthcare

In 1999, SCOPE conducted a community needs assessment which identified a lack of livable wage jobs and adequate health care as critical issues for our community. In 2000, we launched the Jobs and Health Care Campaign to win new public policies and regional economic development strategies to connect people of color from low-income communities to jobs in the health care industry.

SCOPE and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Alliance organized to win a commitment from the City of Los Angeles and the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) to prioritize health care as a strategic industry and to fund a model program for high road workforce development targeting the health care industry in 2001. SCOPE convened city policymakers, unions, community-based organizations, employers, and service providers to design, implement, and oversee the model Health Care Career Ladder Training Program (HCCLTP).

The program has a track record of success in training and placing individuals into healthcare careers. In its focus on serving hard-to-place participants, it serves as a model that can be replicated in other healthcare programs. Between 2002 and 2007, HCCLTP served over 900 low-income individuals and incumbent workers with a phenomenal retention rate of 84%, compared to a 55% national retention rate. Over 80% of graduates have been placed in jobs at an average hourly wage of $14.92. Not only has the program moved traditionally low-wage workers into higher paying allied health positions, but it has also moved incumbent workers up the career ladder to fill critical vacancies in higher-skilled occupations.

SCOPE has continued to play a role in developing and advancing the design of HCCLTP, through ensuring access of diverse participants, facilitating the collaboration of stakeholders to guide the development of the program and by exploring broader healthcare workforce development policy issues. The leadership body of HCCLTP is an Executive Committee made up of representatives from SCOPE, three healthcare unions, the City of Los Angeles Community Development Department, the Workforce Investment Board (WIB), and employers.