SDCCD receives grant for Ready2Work health care education
SDCCD File photo courtesy of San Diego District College District A million-dollar gift from philanthropist Roger Frey will allow the San Diego Public College District to help fitness care students at its four campuses by subsidizing professional costs leaders disclosed Monday The million is on top of previously donated to the district by Frey and it is the first major donation toward a million endowment campaign that will permanently sustain SDCCD s Ready Work scheme Created in Ready Work is intended to benefit wellbeing care students at San Diego City Mesa Miramar and Continuing Learning colleges by reimbursing them for required licensing testing and certification costs For all of the students who have sacrificed so much to earn their degrees I hope this gift will remove their last obstacle to achieving new and rewarding careers revealed Frey who also helped fund the district s tuition-free San Diego Promise undertaking The district has more than students in its multiple soundness care programs including the emergency physiological technician project at Miramar College the neurodiagnostic technician initiative at Mesa College the nursing undertaking at City College and the Certified Nursing Assistant effort at College of Continuing Schooling among others a district message revealed These students are set to spend a combined total of on licensing exams alone this year Patricia Santos completed her associate of science degree from Mesa College s physical therapist assistant project last year and revealed she credits the Ready Work venture for helping cover her licensure exam fee I am truly grateful to the donors who made it manageable for me to pay for my licensure exam fees she explained I am excited to contribute to the field of physical therapy and make a meaningful impact on the lives of my patients as well as give back to the region SDCCD Chancellor Gregory Smith revealed The Ready Work Undertaking shows how philanthropy can help students Our students were completing degrees and certificates in high- demand workforce-oriented soundness programs but for too a multitude of the high cost of testing fingerprinting background checks and state licensing certificates prevented them from starting their new career for months or years after graduation he commented Roger directly recognized the opportunity to intervene and help Frey announced the scheme was a net gain for the region For the students the Ready Work activity helps them obtain the licenses needed to achieve their professional goals he explained For the rest of us the effort strengthens the diagnostic infrastructure we all depend upon
