Arizona is facing a major shortage of homecare aides, but a Valley nonprofit is trying to change that by creating a way to cultivate the next crop of workers by starting young.
They haven’t even graduated yet, but these Cortez High School students are already learning important skills that are setting them up for jobs in the future and beyond.
“It’s just an amazing opportunity,” explained senior Sharai Marroquin. “People need care. And need to feel like they still have life in them. That’s the reason I want to be in healthcare.”
Marroquin and her friends are part of a new paid internship program offered through the school and Valley-based nonprofit Home Assist Health.
“We came in knowing nothing – totally unaware of what’s going on or what we got ourselves into,” said Marroquin.
These students quickly learned the ropes from the pros and not just hands-on skills.
“These students are already learning about home health and what it means to be a care worker,” explained Zachariah Cortez with Home Assist Health. He also says they give students an up-close look at the business side. “How does a business work? How can I be a really good business partner while also being a subject matter expert in the field? So I really wanted to bridge the gap!”