KRA/EPG/MedCerts Collaboration Celebrates CMAA Graduation
On January 9, 2020, KRA Latest News reported on an innovative 3-partner collaboration that continues to produce incredibly successful results for recipients of TANF and SNAP benefits in Prince George’s County, MD, through PGWorks, operated by KRA for the Department of Social Services.
KRA, MedCerts, and Employ Prince George’s, Inc. collaborated to create a pilot program after Melody Daniel, KRA Program Manager, and Sandy Mead, MedCerts National Director of Workforce Development, met at the 2019 NAWDP Conference and discussed a shared objective of providing sustainable occupational-skills development for PG County jobseekers.
Mead introduced Daniel to Walter Simmons, President & CEO, Employ Prince George’s (EPG), and within 4 short months, collaborative planning resulted in a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) training program with eight SNAP and two TANF PGWorks customers enrolled.
Through a combination of classroom and online learning, MedCerts provided the clinical training, with KRA and EPG supporting the students to improve remedial math and reading skills, and to engage in resume development, interviewing do’s-and-don’ts, and job-search activities.
Eight of the 10 happy graduates with Daniel; Gina Brotherton Mayo, KRA Job Readiness Facilitator; and Mead
The program achieved 100% participant success, with the students participating in a Graduation Ceremony, hosted by Simmons, on February 12, and looking forward to taking their upcoming certification exams.
In addition to proud family members, friends, and staff, guests included local business partners—Visiting Angels, SmileHQ, and Elite Dental—eager to interview graduates for potential training and/or employment opportunities.
Daniel concluded, “The incredible success of the pilot has led to the scheduling of a second program, Medical Billing and Coding Specialist, for the CMAA graduates, and a cohort program for a second group of students to begin in late March!
Our program has unlimited potential for replication in other communities, so Ms. Mead and I are excited to be presenting details of the pilot’s success through a workshop, Blended Learning for Job Seekers with Barriers to Employment, at the March NAWB Forum, Washington, DC and the May NAWDP National Conference, Orlando, FL.”
