Inaugural P-TECH Class Meets with Program Leaders and Administrators

HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball hosted a meet & greet for 25 students who will make up an inaugural healthcare program at Tomball Independent School District designed to jumpstart student preparation for successful healthcare careers.

Beginning in August, the four-year program allows rising ninth graders to pursue a pathway in healthcare that blends high school and the first two years of college for a more rapid ascent into healthcare jobs. Students enrolled in Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program at Tomball ISD’s Star Academy work toward a community college associate degree while gaining hands-on work experience. Upon graduation, these students will have access to first-in-line, high priority job interviews with HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball (HCA Tomball).

The Healthcare P-TECH program is a unique collaboration between HCA Tomball, Tomball ISD, and Lone Star College-Tomball (LSC-Tomball). The Tomball Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) worked closely with these partners to help build a strong pipeline of healthcare workers.

On March 22 students and families met with P-TECH leaders and partners to discuss the newly designed program. Leaders from HCA Tomball, Tomball Star Academy, and LSC-Tomball offered encouragement to students.

“Congratulations and thank you for being interested in healthcare careers. You are going to have experiences in this program that will stick with you for the rest of your life,” said Robert Marmerstein, HCA Tomball CEO. “It has been really fun to work with our partners to put this program together. I wish I had a program like this when I was in school.”

“I share my congratulations to all of you. I want you to have confidence in the decision you have made to take this route. It is an awesome path,” added Dr. Lee Ann Nutt, LSC-Tomball President. “We are proud of our relationship with HCA Tomball and Tomball ISD.”

“I’m most excited that you’ve taken the leap of faith to begin this new program. This is really amazing. You are the ones who can get it done and we’ll be here to support you all along the way,” offered Dr. Kelly Marchiando, Tomball Star Academy Principal.

Developing a qualified workforce for Tomball’s businesses is a foundational priority for TEDC.

“One of the primary questions we receive when attracting new business to Tomball is if we have the capable and available workforce to fill jobs that businesses create when they start up a business in Tomball,” said Tiffani Wooten, Assistant Director of the TEDC. “We are always quick to say yes. Workforce training is a collaborative effort between our businesses, colleges, and high schools. The P-TECH program for healthcare is a perfect example of how that collaboration delivers results.”