ETA News Release: [July 13, 2006]
Contact Name: Mike Volpe David James
Phone Number: (202) 693-3984 (202) 693-4676
Regional Nurse Support Receives Recognition of Excellence Honors
Third Annual Awards Presented at Workforce Innovations 2006 in Anaheim
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Regional Nurse Support (RNS) received the top Recognition of Excellence (ROE) honor in the “Building an Industry/Business-Driven Workforce Investment System” category at the Workforce Innovations 2006 Conference in Anaheim. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco presented the third annual ROE honors, which recognize workforce investment system programs from around the country that have achieved outstanding success.
“Recognition of Excellence honorees are proof of the workforce system’s capacity to develop new and innovative approaches for preparing workers to compete in the global economy,” said DeRocco. “Every year, ROE honorees offer examples of education and job training programs that meet the needs of local and regional economies, and can be replicated throughout the country.”
The Employment and Training Administration presents ROE honors in five categories. The “Building an Industry/Business-Driven Workforce Investment System” category honors programs that respond to the needs of business, while preparing a skilled workforce to further career growth.
RNS’s main goal is to recruit, train and retain qualified licensed nurses to reduce the critical labor shortages facing local healthcare facilities in the Sacramento region. RNS uses a strong eight-county partnership with a service-oriented delivery system located in One-Stop Career Centers. RNS seeks out those who want to increase their skills, such as incumbent healthcare workers, returning nurses, low-income workers and the unemployed.
RNS’s performance outcomes have consistently exceeded expectations. The average wage for its first quarter graduates was $61,318, exceeding the proposed earning goal by $28,100. While nursing schools typically in the state and region have an attrition rate of 30 percent, RNS’s rate was only 7 percent. Most importantly, 95 new nursing slots were developed by RNS, increasing significantly the capacity to train and retain new nurses year after year.
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