Alelo Launches Avatar-Based Online Course to Meet Surging Demand for Healthcare Workers and Build Rapid Skills in Unemployed/Underemployed


This course is important because it allows out-of-work and underserved individuals without a college education to get back to work quickly in a living-wage job with high career potential.

Alelo Inc. launched its technology-driven reskilling course on May 10th to a pilot group of unemployed and underemployed individuals without a college degree in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The trainees will reskill over eight weeks for a job as a Community Health Worker by role-playing online with AI-driven avatars.

“Role-playing with avatars in realistic settings allows candidates to apply real-world skills without leaving a desk. When encountering real-world scenarios, trainees are confident and adept,” says Alelo CEO, Dr. W. Lewis Johnson. “The artificial intelligence adapts role-playing simulations to each trainee, concentrating on only areas of need. Role-playing combined with personalized learning is how we cut training that traditionally takes over a year to just eight weeks,” adds Johnson.

In partnership with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, Alelo will offer the eight-week course every Monday to small cohorts of up to thirty eligible Hampton Roads candidates at no cost. The first cohort completes training on July 2nd, at which time the Workforce Council and Alelo will arrange interviews with local Hampton Roads healthcare employers looking to hire Community Health Workers. One such employer is the Hampton Roads Community Health Center. With an ongoing need for entry-level healthcare workers, they will look to place course graduates into job positions that arise.

“This course is important because it allows out-of-work and underserved individuals without a college education to get back to work quickly in a living-wage job with high career potential,” says Workforce Council Senior Director of Youth Services and Special Projects, Christina Brooks. One candidate from the first cohort explains, “I decided to sign up because I am trying to transition from a career in the shipyard to one in healthcare. I have already successfully passed my PCA classes and feel this class would help broaden my opportunities in the healthcare field. I’m hopeful that entering the healthcare field with more than a PCA certificate will also help me to enter the field with a more rewarding salary that will allow me to continue to support my children without pulling us down further into poverty.”

Initial funding for the training and placement came from the XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling sponsored by New Profit competition, which paired Alelo and the Workforce Council. Alelo is working to get additional corporate sponsors to continue the program past the competition deadlines and expand it to other healthcare professions, first in Hampton Roads then in other high-needs cities. Sponsorships are tax-deductible through the Hampton Roads Workforce Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization with 509(a)(1) public charity status. Once Alelo training receives state certification additional candidates will be trained using Federal workforce innovation funds.

“The need for healthcare workers in Hampton Roads goes beyond Community Health Workers. There is a surging demand for entry-level healthcare workers of all kinds in our community,” explains Brooks. As Alelo and the Workforce Council reach out to major healthcare providers in the Hampton Roads area to place trainees in jobs, they will also identify opportunities to upskill organizations’ existing employees and improve their patient communication skills.

“We’re excited to see the positive impact that skills training can have on individual lives, communities, and organizations as we continue to roll out rapid skilling courses,” states Johnson.

ABOUT ALELO INC

Alelo is a world leader in AI avatar-based learning solutions for corporate, government, and academic applications. Alelo’s remote learning methods are transforming the way people acquire real-world skills worldwide. To learn more about Alelo’s breakthroughs in artificial intelligence role-playing for training and education, visit http://www.Alelo.com.

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