NEW ORLEANS — On Friday, June 5, 2015, Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) and the New Orleans Business Alliance will join the Community Outreach Division of Ochsner Health System in hosting the sixth, and final, Future Building Fridays session of the semester at the Ochsner Medical Center – Jefferson Highway campus.
Fifteen high school educators will focus on raising greater awareness of the region’s healthcare industry.
Future Building Fridays is spearheaded by GNO, Inc. as a way to inform educators from area high schools about the different employment opportunities available in high-growth industries such as health sciences, digital media, international trade, manufacturing, energy and emerging environmental.
“GNO, Inc. understands the critical importance of career awareness and exploration programs, like Future Building Fridays, for educators, students and the community,” said GNO, Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht. “We must continue to connect the world of work and our industry partners to our K-12 classrooms. We want to empower educators with an understanding of the significant high-wage and high-demand job opportunities that are available throughout the GNO region.”
“Ochsner’s Community Outreach initiatives are committed to supporting the educators and schools in our communities by offering opportunities for furthering curriculum exploration, investigating career options, and providing first-hand experiences through multiple programs,” said Ochnser’s Vice President of Community Outreach, Avery Corenswet. “Future Building Fridays is the perfect platform to highlight our programs, better understand our region’s workforce of tomorrow, and begin the recruitment process early so that the skilled workforce is ready to take care of our community and our patients for years to come.”
Ochsner offers a number of academic community outreach programs aimed to at the greater education of high school students. The Ochsner STAR program provides qualified high school students the opportunity to explore the world of healthcare through a rigorous summer program. The purpose of the program is to engage and inspire students to pursue further education and careers in science and medicine in a fun, learning environment. Ochsner’s BEST Science! is a partnership with with LSUHSC, funded by the NIH SEPA program, which provides Hands-on Science laboratory professional development to high school teachers and Lab2Go kits to the teachers for the students to perform the same experiments in the classroom.
Through site visits and first-hand exposure to employers, Future Building Fridays seeks to educate counselors, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and CTE (Career and Technical Education) teachers about regional workforce trends, aligned with the Louisiana Department of Education’s Jump Start pathways. The Future Building Fridays series is just one part of GNO, Inc.’s World of Work (GNO WOW) programming, which offers and promotes high-quality career awareness and exploration opportunities for regional schools and businesses. Through GNO WOW, GNO, Inc. is committed to raising educator and community awareness of the key sectors that drive the Greater New Orleans economy.
