Intermountain Health has received a $1.9 million grant to launch an effort to promote the development of the health care workforce in the Grand Junction and Denver areas.

Intermountain Health was among 43 recipients of Opportunity Now Colorado grants provided through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. The grants are intended to spur innovation in education for employment and workforce development.

Intermountain Health will use the grant to fund Pathfinders, a pilot program to engage, hire and provide upfront tuition for people seeking entry level health care jobs.

“It’s no secret the nature of work is changing, and employers around the world are needing to adapt in new, innovative ways. I’m proud to say at Intermountain, we aren’t just adapting, we’re leading the way through programs like Pathfinders,” said Heather Bruce, chief people officer at Intermountain Health. “By staying true to our values and embracing new ways to reach future employees, we can build the kind of diverse talent pipeline that ensures Intermountain Health will continue to innovate, adapt and succeed.”

The Pathfinders program will provide job matching based on skills, on-the-job training, portable credentials, mentoring and career steps toward higher-level health care jobs. The program also will include upfront tuition to complete certifications or pursue college degrees.

The program will benefit job seekers in the Grand Junction and Denver areas who are unemployed or work in jobs that pay less than $15 an hour and don’t hold four-year college degrees. The program also aims to reach nontraditional students, including people over 25 years old, full-time workers and parents.

Job applicants who are hired and accepted into the Pathfinders program can start in roles as certified nursing assistants, medical assistants or sterile processing technicians, and that can lead to careers in nursing, imaging and behavioral health.

Through a series of specific career steps and completion of corresponding higher education degrees, employees can become a nurse, radiology technician or licensed clinical social worker. Career pathways include one path for nurses who work in hospital units or clinics and another path for nurses who work in operating rooms.

Participants will have access to financial coaching, transportation, nutrition support, medical premium assistance and education funding.

Pathfinders participants will be hired as an Intermountain caregiver and begin on-the-job training in departments led by managers specially trained to support their success. Learning opportunities will include health care credentials, resume writing, interview skills and English language learning.Training also will include such workforce readiness skills as self-empowerment, communication, problem solving and community membership.

Program participants will use the FutureFit artificial intelligence  platform to start the job matching process. The platform uses proprietary algorithms to deduce job seekers’ skills and guides discovery of in-demand career pathways, skills, gaps, relevant learning and resources and quality job opportunities.  Intermountain’s recruiting team will hire qualified candidates from the FutureFit skills-based hiring platform, which recommends candidates based on skills and potential.

The program will be open to 30 people for each year of the pilot project for a total of 60 people. Intermountain Health expects to expand the program to other Colorado employers and locations.

For more information about available jobs with Intermountain Health in Grand Junction and Denver, call (800) 843-7820, visit https://intermountainhealthcare.org/careers/explore-careers or send an email to recruitment@imail.org.