The Consortium for Public Education is one of four community-based organizations chosen to lead an initiative to help high school freshmen learn about career opportunities in health care.

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation and United Way of Allegheny County, which together launched and funded the initiative, notified The Consortium in late July that it had been selected to pilot Pathways to Health Careers, along with YouthWorks, Wireless Neighborhoods and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

All four organizations designed and submitted separate plans for working with one or more schools during 2010-2011. Each will help school partners connect with healthcare providers and other community resources to create programs that acquaint ninth graders with the spectrum of health career possibilities, information about projected job availability, salaries and education and training options. The organizations will take different approaches, but all are expected to help students achieve career education mileposts outlined in the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Career and Work Standards.

Health care is the Pittsburgh region’s largest single employment sector. It also is expected to generate more jobs nationally over the next decade than any other sector and has reported persistent shortages for key personnel such as nurses, respiratory therapists and radiology technicians.