After two video production trips to Arizona and Pennsylvania, numerous interviews, and countless hours of production, Brunet-García released two Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program videos.
The videos are designed to assist the program’s 32 grantees with employer engagement and participant recruitment efforts, which are crucial to the impact they ultimately have in the communities they serve.
HPOG, a program administered by the Administration for Children and Families, provides education and training to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals for occupations in the healthcare field. Funds are awarded to 32 grantees around the country in 5-year grant cycles so HPOG can provide participants the opportunity to obtain higher education, training, and the support services needed to secure a true career pathway.
Senior account manager Kate Jolley has worked with HPOG since the agency acquired the contract in 2015. Along with a video production team from Castano Group, Jolley worked with the client and Brunet-García’s creative team to develop the initial video concepts and outlines, which allowed grantees to share compelling success stories, employer engagement tactics, and program highlights.
“We worked closely with the program to ensure the 2017 video concepts fulfilled a need for grantees,” Jolley said. “They are great tools to help grantees grow their programs locally and also to promote the program at a higher level.”
The key to HPOG’s success is the recruitment and retainment of participants as they pursue numerous career tracks within the healthcare field. Programs offer participants training to obtain certifications that lead to careers as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), emergency medical technicians, home health aides, among others, and are aided along the way with critical support services from the program. In fact, one of the differentiating factors between this program and other vocational programs is the holistic support, including financial help in the form of gas cards and tuition funds, that is provided to participants. Many students commute long distances and juggle competing priorities, such as childcare or elderly parents, as they pursue a healthcare career.
“It is truly inspiring to hear directly from HPOG participants and grantees,” Jolley said. “The program is so supportive of participants through all of their struggles and triumphs.”
The Participant Recruitment video features two HPOG participant success stories from the Pima HOPES program in Tucson, Arizona. The video’s goal is to help grantees’ recruitment efforts by providing encouragement and information to potential participants. It highlights the program’s vital role in supporting participants from enrollment to employment.
“The supportive services that have the greatest impact are those things you often can’t put a name on in the beginning, but they make the difference between succeeding in your program of study and quitting, and they can be something like paying the rent, so you have safe shelter,” said Angie Sytsma, HPOG program manager at Pima Community College. “We’ve put tires on people’s cars before so that they have safe transportation.”
In the Employer Engagement video various employer partners share information on what they look for in potential employees and how HPOG participants fill those needs. The video highlights employer partner/HPOG program success stories and the mutually beneficial relationships achieved.
“HPOG programs are here to meet the workforce development needs of healthcare employers,” said Mary Mingle, HPOG Employer outreach coordinator at the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit. “We help develop healthcare career pathways by providing educational opportunities, intensive case management, soft skills training, connections to the community, whatever a participant may need to become a strong, effective employee.”
Brunet-García has produced a total of four videos for HPOG. One of the previous videos, “Misty’s Story,” received numerous awards in 2017, including several ADDY Awards and two Telly Awards. You can view that video as well as a video featuring another grantee here.
