February 23, 2007

Starting the journey: Steps to success

The adage "a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step," rang true for more than 40 MGHers who took the first step to jumpstart their careers by attending "Steps to Success: The Journey from Job to Career" Feb. 8. The goal of the informational session was to help employees overcome barriers to furthering their education — whether by returning to college, taking trade courses or earning a professional certificate. The workshop covered topics such as debunking myths about going back to school as adult learners, conducting self assessments to evaluate readiness, weighing factors in choosing a college, researching education programs and exploring educational options in the health care field.

"For some adults, it may seem overwhelming to even consider going back to school," says Helen Witherspoon, left, operations manager for MGH Training and Workforce Development and co-presenter for the session. "We presented this workshop to help motivate employees deciding if now is the right time in their lives to continue their education to either enhance their current job skills or to plan for a future career change."

The next Training and Workforce Development session will be a college fair for employees March 28, from 11 am to 4 pm in the Training Department at 165 Cambridge St., Suite 200. For more information, call (617) 724-3368 or e-mail Kevin Cotter at kpcotter@partners.org.