Innovative Project SHIFT begins second cycle at SCC
Dental Assisting and Respiratory Therapy are among SCC’s 17 healthcare programs included in Project SHIFT.
Donated photo
Shortly after opening the doors of the Don Tomas Health Sciences Center back in 2021, Southwestern Community College developed a strategy for not only filling the area’s tremendous healthcare workforce needs — but also providing a promising future for soon-to-be high school graduates.
Dubbed Project SHIFT (SCC Health Initiative For Teens), the program supports area high school students by providing career exploration and advising. Project SHIFT aims to tackle the region’s healthcare workforce shortages by uniting area high schools, healthcare providers and nonprofit agencies.
Dogwood Health Trust recognized the potential and provided funding to launch Project SHIFT in 2023, and the results speak for themselves. More than 350 students participated in Project SHIFT within its first two years, and nearly all of SCC’s 17 Health Sciences programs enjoyed a surge in applications and enrollment.
That level of success prompted Dogwood Health Trust to fund a two-year extension in the form of a $500,000 Collaboration and Innovation grant. In addition to continuing Project SHIFT’s collaborative work with area high schools, the program is taking on a new collaborative and innovative project in partnership with NC Health Talent Alliance to further the shared mission of filling critical workforce gaps in healthcare within WNC.
The Project SHIFT model aims to provide a sustainable solution to the workforce issue by identifying future healthcare professionals while they’re still in high school. These students gain intensive exposure to healthcare fields through events, workshops, field trips, career fairs internships and coaching.
For more information about Project SHIFT, call 828.339.4198 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
