JPS Health Network and the United States Army have partnered to establish a veteran training program within the Tarrant County hospital district.
The initiative, called the U.S. Army Career Skills Program, will provide military personnel with opportunities to participate in skills training at John Peter Smith Hospital during their transition period.
The hospital district’s goal is to improve veterans’ employment options and fill the gap, Shannon Fletcher, chief of staff with JPS, said during a recent board of managers meeting.
The Army, which launched the program in 2013, will facilitate the 16-week apprenticeships, internships and job shadowing opportunities. Since its launch, over 40,523 soldiers have completed the program with a 93% hire rate, according to the U.S. Army.
Soldiers will be able to complete the skills training during the last six months of their active duty prior to leaving. Participating soldiers will receive their ordinary military pay, but must maintain accountability with their assigned unit during the program’s duration.
Salaries for employment opportunities through the program range from $40,000 to $140,000 per year.
“It is the highest honor to give back to support the training and transition of our country’s service men and women into the civilian workforce,” Joy Parker, vice president of operations with JPS, said in a statement. “As a teaching hospital, JPS understands the value that creating new pathways to training and recruiting a talented workforce has on caring for our community.”
David Moreno is the health reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter.
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