The John R. Oishei Foundation has awarded Trocaire College a $504,000 grant to fund a Health Careers Enhancement Project.  The project’s goal will be to promote upward mobility in professional health care careers for currently underemployed individuals who are in entry level or modest wage positions in the Western New York Health Care System.

“The John R. Oishei Foundation welcomes the opportunity to be a partner in this important collaboration.  This collaborative effort will provide significant opportunities for job advancement in the growing field of health care and allow for increased quality service to those in need,” said Thomas E. Baker, President of The John R. Oishei Foundation.

Trocaire College’s Health Careers Enhancement Project is a collaborative effort between the college and four employer-partners, The McGuire Group, ElderWood Senior Care, Catholic Health System, and the Kaleida Health System, which will work together throughout the five-year program to identify and train program participants to attain higher education.  Through a combination of academic classes and clinical training, this initiative will allow participants to obtain degrees and certifications in any one of the college’s health-related programs of study.

The John R. Oishei Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for Buffalo area residents by supporting education, healthcare, scientific research and the cultural, social, civic and other charitable needs of the community.  The Foundation was established in 1940 by John R. Oishei, founder of Trico Products Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of windshield wiper systems.

Trocaire President Dr. Paul B. Hurley, Jr., thanked the Oishei Foundation, noting that “this grant will significantly influence the lives of the program participants by giving them the opportunity for upward career mobility and an opportunity to gain a higher educational degree or certificate.  Everyone involved, the college, employer-partners, program participants, and the larger Western New York community, will benefit from the Oishei Foundation’s commitment to education and the needs of our local community.”

The timetable for this project begins this fall semester of 2005 and encompasses five academic years from 2005 to 2010.  Trocaire College, with the assistance of its employer-partners, will recruit and select three new participants per year from each of the four partners for the life of the project, yielding a total of 108 individuals to be educated in one of Trocaire’s health care programs.  A full scholarship will be provided to each participant through a formula that includes revenue from the John R. Oishei Foundation grant and contributions from the employer-partners and the college.

Trocaire College has been educating quality, highly-trained health care professionals for over 45 years.  The college currently serves approximately 1,000 students at its South Buffalo location.