BALTIMORE — CFG Bank (CFGB), a Baltimore-based lender, has launched the Jack and Nancy Dwyer Workforce Development Program.
The non-profit organization seeks to help resolve the effects of systemic poverty and inequality and help fix the turnover crisis and burnout due to staffing shortages in the healthcare industry by creating a pathway to advance career opportunities in the nursing profession.
CFGB donated $1 million to jumpstart the program. As part of this initiative, CFGB also announced a partnership with and $1 million donation to Living Classrooms, a nonprofit serving Baltimore and Washington, D.C., with a mission to create safer, stronger and healthier communities for children, youth and adults.
The donation to Living Classrooms will be used in the renovation and new construction of the Living Classrooms Bauer Building located adjacent to the foundation’s headquarters on Baltimore’s Harbor that will house the training for healthcare workers. Completion is slated for July 2021.
The Jack and Nancy Dwyer Workforce Development Program’s purpose is to provide Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA) training and entry-level job positions to unemployed and underemployed individuals who aspire to pursue a career in the healthcare industry. The program will support job placement and retention of students at healthcare facilities, assisted living facilities and nursing homes, and provide training while identifying goals to achieve over several years. After achieving those goals, students will be awarded a scholarship to attend nursing school to achieve the ultimate goal of a Registered Nurse (RN) license.
The $1 million donation to the Jack and Nancy Dwyer Workforce Development Program will be used toward underwriting the initial CNA and GNA program curriculums, startup expenses and staff hires, as well as future programming and scholarships.
“We are always looking for new ways to take action to improve the lives of those in our community, and with our strong presence in the healthcare market, we see the high turnover of nursing professionals as well as the challenges they face in advancing their career,” says Jack Dwyer, owner and chairman of CFGB. “Partnering with Living Classrooms will support our curriculums so students can pave a new career path and help a struggling industry.”
The Living Classrooms Bauer Building is an innovative workforce development hub that aims to build a bridge between unemployed and underemployed Baltimore residents and the region’s fastest growing careers. By partnering with employers and business leaders in the healthcare, manufacturing and shipping industries, Living Classrooms is developing hands-on training programs that also aim to remove barriers to careers.
The Bauer Building will house the CFG Bank Classroom and the Jack and Nancy Dwyer Classroom, which will be used for training programs that will establish a pathway to entry-level healthcare careers, such as CNAs and GNAs, facilitated through partnerships with area hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities.