Free Workforce Recruitment Tool for Members

For the past several years, the State’s Workforce Investment Program, which is funded through federal waiver funds, has supported Workforce Investment Organizations (WIOs) in undertaking initiatives to retrain, recruit, and retain health care workers in the long term care sector. The Iroquois Healthcare Association (IHA) WIO is re-launching their Caring Gene® multi-media campaign this week, which seeks to address the increasing demand for more workers in our settings. The campaign attempts to change perceptions of working in long term care and to fill critical positions such as certified nurse aides (CNAs), home health aides (HHAs), personal care aides (PCAs), and support roles by appealing to an individual’s innate desire to care for others. The campaign targets individuals who may have this quality – the Caring Gene®.

Unique to this campaign will be the use of artificial intelligence, which will utilize machine learning and natural language processing to identify more candidates who have the Caring Gene®. In conjunction with the re-launch of the campaign, plans are underway to run a series of Caring Gene® Virtual Job Fairs in late fall. Utilizing a mix of creative TV, radio, out-of-home, and digital ads, the aim is to draw potential job seekers to https://www.caringgene.com, a website housing information about the long term care industry in New York State where providers are able to post jobs and receive applications.

Long term care providers will be able to set up virtual booths to have online conversations and interviews with prospective job seekers. IHA WIO will be partnering with a number of organizations to solicit job seekers to these fairs, including the New York State Department of Labor (DOL), local workforce development organizations, immigration and refugee centers, veterans organizations, community colleges, and vocational training programs, as well as area councils on health care education.

There is no cost to the provider to participate in either of these programs.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828