Clyde BrothersonWhen it came time to find a new director for the Central Corridor College (C3) Fellows Program, Yvette Trotman knew the position required someone special. Minneapolis Community and Technical College’s (MCTC) Dean of Nursing, Health Sciences and Public Services, Trotman sought a person who understands the mission of connecting the classroom to careers. Clyde Brotherson appears to be the answer to Trotman’s prayers.
Brotherson has served as an instructor in MCTC’s Central Services Technician program during the last two years. “Clyde really stands out because he makes it his business to find relevant jobs for all of his students,” noted Trotman.
Classroom to Career Connections
Brotherson’s strong understanding of the health care world comes from years spent in health care management, including positions as Operations Manager of Central Processing Center at Fairview Hospital, University of Minnesota Health Service; Reprocessing Department Manager at Regions Hospital; and Manager of Central Processing Department at Children’s Hospital.
Brotherson has found professional satisfaction teaching at MCTC the skills he learned during his career in health care. “It is fascinating to be in both the management of health care programs and to get to help prepare students for those careers,” he reflected. C3 Fellows is the next step for Brotherson in fostering employer relationships to find students jobs in their field of study on a larger scale. “I am excited about what this program can do for many students,” he commented.
Building on C3 Fellows’ Success
C3 Fellows connects college students in the Central Corridor with entry-level jobs in their area of interest at CCAP health care partners. This program has been immensely successful – it has matched nearly 250 students with paid field placements, and these students earn an average of $14 per hour, $6 more than Minnesota’s minimum wage. As of March 2017, 249 students were working in related fields and 231 of those positions were paid.
Brotherson will spend the next few weeks participating in an orientation process during which he will meet college partners at two year colleges MCTC and Saint Paul College and four year colleges Augsburg College, Bethel University, Metropolitan State University, and St. Catherine University. He looks forward to making student connections during the fall semester and to building relationships with staff at partner colleges. Brotherson also sees considerable opportunity to foster deeper relationships with health care employers to support the ongoing success of the program.
“It is amazing that so many health care partners are reaching out to be a part of an opportunity like this,” Brotherson observed. “I am excited about this opportunity and know I will find it to be challenging because there is so much that needs to be done.”