Surgical Tech Program Receives Grant, Strengthening Partnership Program with Intermountain Healthcare

 

 

The Strada Education Network awarded a $400,000 grant to Salt Lake Community College’s (SLCC) Surgical Technology Program as part of Strada’s Employer and Community College Partnership Challenge. The grant aims to support innovative collaborations across the country between community colleges and employers in their region. Together, SLCC and Strada will participate in learning from other select community college employer partnerships nationwide.

As part of the grant, SLCC will partner with Intermountain Healthcare, the region's largest healthcare provider, to meet urgent healthcare workforce needs. This initiative specifically focuses on providing training programs and creating career exploration pathways for surgical technicians. The college will offer an accelerated program track, expand and upgrade training facilities, support students in the training pathway and partner with local secondary schools to recruit students. Intermountain Healthcare will provide tuition for current employees pursuing training, provide clinical learning and mentorship for students, donate equipment and prioritize hiring program graduates.

 

“We are deeply grateful the Strada Education Network chose to invest in our growing Surgical Technology program,” said SLCC President Deneece G. Huftalin. “We are also pleased to work with our long-standing partner, Intermountain Healthcare, to expand opportunites for our students and support critically essential careers in Utah’s healthcare industry.” 

 

SLCC’s Surgical Technology program is currently housed in an area leased from the Jordan School District. Moving the program to the college’s Health Sciences building on its Jordan Campus will improve accessibility for faculty and students. “The Strada grant allocates funds for purchasing equipment and supplies to outfit the program and allows it to function in this new space,” said Angela Belnap, DHPE, associate dean of Allied Health at SLCC. “Further, it provides the college with a faculty position that is essential in growing the Surgical Technology program.”

 

“At Strada, we believe in investing in innovative solutions that deliver results beyond completion,” said Stephen Moret, Strada Education Network president and CEO. “Community colleges have long played a critical role by serving the dynamic needs of both learners and employers in their communities. We are thrilled to have the chance to support college leaders and employers who are coming together to provide timely opportunities for learners.” 

 

Strada Education Network created this grant-making initiative as the first step in a strategy to partner with community colleges to support stronger regional economies and communities. This represents Strada’s first major investment in the transformative work of the community college sector and a recognition that community colleges have a unique capacity to address changing regional workforce needs. The initiative aims to improve employment and socioeconomic outcomes after degree or credential completion for students who historically have faced significant barriers to economic mobility. 

 

“Community colleges are engines of opportunity with unique insight into local dynamics and needs,” said Ruth V. Watkins, Strada Impact president. “We’re honored to both support and learn from these programs as we work to align measures of success beyond completion with the things that matter most to learners: career mobility and earning potential, meaningful work and the chance to contribute to their communities.”