Workforce System Success Stories - Workforce Development and Adult Learning

Jaylen Hunter was a shy 20-year-old who had dropped out of high school and had very little work experience or confidence in his own abilities. Realizing he would need a high school credential to qualify for most jobs, Jaylen was already enrolled in an online high school program when he discovered the Healthcare Careers Alliance (HCA), a youth program offered by the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) to provide young people with training in healthcare careers.

Through the HCA program, Jaylin completed 40 hours of Life Skill Training focused on several essential career development activities: assessing his interests and abilities, establishing strong goals, exploring career pathways, developing workplace skills, and building interviewing skills. Jaylen’s shyness and general lack of confidence made that last topic especially challenging, but HCA staff stressed to him that he would need good interviewing skills to land jobs.

Staff concerns about Jaylen’s shyness were on point. He completed an internship with the Materials Management Department for Occupational Skill Training but was not offered a position there because the supervisory staff felt that he was too timid to fulfill the demands of an entry-level position. Instead of giving up, the HCA team pivoted, asking the Director of the Patient Transport Department to interview Jaylen for an entry-level position as a Transporter. Although HCA staff worked hard to prepare him for the interview, Jaylen’s shyness and nervousness got the better of him once again, causing him to freeze when asked questions. Again, refusing to concede defeat, the HCA team invited Jaylen to return to MOED’s Youth Works program for the summer, where he completed a second internship with the Patient Transport Department.

All the hard work finally paid off! Jaylen proved during this internship that he could overcome his challenges to be a valued member of the LifeBridge Healthcare staff. Pleased Department management offered him an entry-level position at Sinai Hospital that he began on September 5, 2023. HCA staff learned through follow-up interviews with Jaylen’s supervisors that he has adapted very well to his work environment, and his timeliness and attendance are excellent. What’s more, as Jaylen has become more comfortable, he has also become much more outgoing. Department managers note that he demonstrates “excellent customer service skills” to patients and family members.

When Jaylen was asked what he thought was the most important part of the program, he cited the Occupational Skills Training phase. Although he lacked interviewing skills, he believes the internship experiences gave him an opportunity to grow and to prove that he could be a good worker.

If anyone is prouder of Jaylen’s accomplishments than he is, it would have to be the HCA staff who worked with him over so many months. For their part, the staff credit Jaylen alone with his success: “He never gave up on himself when it appeared he wasn’t going to achieve his goal of working at Sinai Hospital. His hard work and determination helped him overcome the personal obstacles standing between him and his employment goal.”

HCA continues to work with Jaylen to help him finish the journey of earning his high school diploma, an achievement he is on track to complete in January of 2024. Jaylen may not have his five-year plan figured out quite yet, but he knows he wants to stay in healthcare. HCA staff will be by his side for as long as he needs them, providing the guidance and coaching Jaylen needs to grow in the career path of his choice.