Wednesday, November 29, 2006
BOARDMAN — While manufacturing jobs in northeast Ohio have decreased, there’s a demand for employees in the health-care industry.
A workshop by the Northeast Ohio Health Force on Wednesday at the Mahoning County One Stop focused on careers in allied health, diagnostic, nursing, social work and counseling, therapist and health information areas.
NEO Health Force, established in 2002, is a collaboration of employers, schools and training institutions that focus on health care.
Mya Fisher, manager of the Mahoning County One Stop, said the group formed to address the shortage of qualified health-care workers in the region.
Twenty-two people attended the workshop Wednesday, and Jim White, workshop instructor, said a similar session will be scheduled in January.
One of the presenters, Marsha Bucciarelli of Lakeland Institute of Technology, Hermitage, Pa., gave a rundown of the educational requirements and the average salary or wages for the particular fields.
Social workers in the Youngstown-Warren area, for example, generally earn $18.80 per hour, higher than the national average of $15.88 per hour, Bucciarelli said.
Careers are available for people with the appropriate education and training in the fields in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, attorneys’ and doctors’ offices, correctional facilities and other businesses, Bucciarelli said.
White said that the most popular fields among attendees at workshop sessions are X-ray technician, licensed practical nurses and medical coding and billing.