SPECIAL FEATURE
CVS Caremark Progress Report to
Congress:
More Than One Million Youths
Introduced
to Pharmacy Career Paths Since 2000
CVS
Caremark, the nation's leading
pharmacy health care provider, has
surpassed its 10-year "Pathways to
Pharmacy" goal of introducing one
million youths to pharmacy as a
potential career and met its target
of $4 million in summer internship
wages for high school students since
2000, the company reported in May to
Congress's Joint Economic Committee.
The company provided this update in
testimony to a committee hearing
entitled "Avoiding a Lost
Generation: How to Minimize the
Impact of the Great Recession on
Young Workers." The hearing was
called as part of Congress's effort
to address the impact that the
economic downturn has had on younger
workers. In April, one out of four
teens (ages 16 to 19) was unemployed
and one out of six younger adults
(ages 20 to 24) was also jobless.
Created by CVS Caremark in
partnership with the nonprofit group
America's Promise in 2000 to
encourage younger workers to
consider careers in pharmacy,
Pathways to Pharmacy is one of
several CVS Caremark programs to
receive national attention for its
significant impact on workforce
education in cities across the
country. The summer internship
component of Pathways to Pharmacy
alone includes 1,800 teenagers in
more than 40 cities every year. The
six- to eight-week internships
include classroom education on
customer service and pharmacy
science and hands-on experience at
CVS/pharmacy stores. Some programs
also include orientation sessions at
local colleges of pharmacy.
Following their internships,
students are eligible to continue
working at CVS/pharmacy and to work
toward national certification as
pharmacy technicians.
To illustrate the impact of programs
like Pathways to Pharmacy, CVS
Caremark director of Workforce
Initiatives Steve Wing told the
committee about one young pharmacy
technician at a CVS/pharmacy store
in the Chicago area who came to the
company through a Pathways to
Pharmacy internship in 2006, the
summer before her senior year in
high school.
"Veronica, who is now 20, fell in
love with the profession of
pharmacy," Wing said. "She is now a
junior at the University of Illinois
at Chicago, with definitive plans to
enroll in a four-year pharmacy
school after she graduates. She has
worked at the same CVS/pharmacy
store since her internship,
progressing from intern to pharmacy
sales associate to certified
pharmacy technician, her current
position. Veronica's parents, who
never graduated high school, are
extremely proud of her. And as
powerful as her story is, Veronica
is one of countless outstanding
CVS/pharmacy employees who came to
us via Pathways to Pharmacy and
stayed with us for years."
Lisa Bisaccia, CVS Caremark's senior
vice president and chief human
resources officer, noted that the
thousands of talented and
hard-working colleagues who have
joined CVS Caremark through programs
like Pathways to Pharmacy now are
contributing directly to the
company's success.
"Our investments in training and in
workforce development have helped us
meet the need for good jobs in the
communities we serve while also
meeting our own need for colleagues
who can deliver the best customer
service in our industry," she said.
"Having seen the impact that
Pathways to Pharmacy and other
workforce initiatives have had for
our company, we are happy to share
what we have learned along the way
with Congress and with the business
community."
07/17/10
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