Mayor David N. Cicilline yesterday welcomed state and national officials to the Providence Skills Center, for a tour and the official opening of the center’s new pharmacy technician training program, which includes a mock CVS/pharmacy.
Among those attending were Grace Kilbane, regional director for the U.S. Department of Labor & Training; Adelita Orefice, director of the R.I. Department of Labor and Training; Kathryn Mannes, managing director of workforce development for the National Retail Federation; Stephen Wing, director of government programs for CVS/pharmacy; Jeff Raymond, regional manager for CVS/pharmacy; and Samantha Medeiros, who graduated from the pharmacy technician training program in July.
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Medeiros, who had obtained her GED in 2005, graduated from new program near the top of her class, and now works at a local CVS as a pharmacy technician.
The Providence Skills Center, formerly Providence Place Academy, opened in January. It trains youth and adult workers for entry-level and advanced positions in the retail and customer service industries. Among other services, it helps workers prepare to take the GED; develops customized training for businesses; conducts job fairs, recruitment and targeted outreach; and offers skills assessment, communication skills training and job-search assistance to workers.
“We are truly excited by the success the Providence Skills Center has achieved in a relatively short period of time,” said Janet Raymond, chairman of the center’s board of directors and senior vice president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.
“Created through a public-private partnership, the Center has met a much-needed demand in the marketplaceby providing students with the skills and opportunities to find employment,” she said. “… In addition, local employers have benefited from this well-trained work force, thereby creating a stronger economy for the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island.”
The center’s pharmacy tech training program was established in June by Woonsocket-based CVS Corp., which yesterday pledged to hire 60 graduates of the program over the next year.
“The Skills Center is an exciting venture creating partnerships and job training in high-growth fields,” Cicilline said in a statement yesterday.
“This new pharmacy program is an example of the remarkable service we can provide area residents. By bridging education to work, we are helping residents find rewarding careers and build stronger families, stronger neighborhoods and a stronger economy,” the mayor said.
“This center, the only one of its kind in New England, recognizes the importance of the retail industry to this city, state and nation. I applaud CVS for joining this undertaking and committing resources to this facility and to our work force.”
To enroll in the pharmacy training program, students must be at least 18 and must have or be working on a high school diploma or GED graduates will be licensed and certified to work in any of the roughly 50 CVS/pharmacy stores in Rhode Island and 6,200 nationwide.
“CVS/pharmacy is honored to be part of this dynamic partnership,” said Wing, the chain’s director of government programs. He said the company “is making this commitment to train and hire 60 new pharmacy technicians over the next year to help our company grow and to strengthen communities throughout Rhode Island.”
