Since 2015, CME has participated as one of the first companies to join the Real Jobs training program started during Governor Gina Raimondo’s first term in office. Real Jobs RI seeks to connect young adults with companies that perform in-demand work and help provide the training and education to allow them to become permanent members of that industry.
CME proudly offers two tracks to apprentice individuals through the program. Apprentices can become involved in performing medical equipment IT support to CME clients or learn the skills necessary to act in a technician’s position that involves testing and repairing deployed equipment out in the field.
Fernando Ruiz started as an apprentice in 2015. He initially thought he would go into IT, but has found a passionate calling in being a repair and service technician. He is preparing to take his certification test in May and is now the lead technician for CME operations in Connecticut.
“Getting a certificate and experience, it’s something you can’t really turn down.” - Fernando Ruiz.
As with other participants of the Real Jobs program, CME partners with one of the state’s higher education institutions, the Community College of Rhode Island. CME leadership partners with the school to construct specific curriculums tailored to the particular needs within the healthcare industry.
“This training program is a win-win for the candidate, our company and the state as a whole,” said Eric Robinson, CME’s Vice President of Operations. “They are trained in the field to handle all types of situations and taught excellent customer service skills. This team operates as an extension of our full-time staff and will greatly improve CME’s ability to provide services while helping create good jobs for the future.”
This is CME’s fourth year in the program, and it has been a highly successful partnership, resulting in 80 percent of the trainees securing full-time positions at CME. At the end of each two- or three-year program, the candidates also earn an Associate’s Degree. With the extension of the Real Jobs program, CME looks to continue training in the current two IT and biomedical engineering tracks, while adding programs in advanced business solutions. This includes training in data analysis, customer service, and marketing.
Additionally, CME partnered with a secondary organization, Year Up, to help train individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. This creates a pipeline of qualified talent, while also employing people in high-demand, high-skills jobs that they may not have access to otherwise.
“I think it gives a nice launching pad for somebody looking to find a career path. Ideally, we’ve been growing so rapidly that we’ve had permanent positions for all of these people so far,” Eric Robinson shared. “They’re going to come out of this program with an associate’s degree, ideally a certification and real-world experience where they’ll be able to get a job in this industry anywhere, because of the demand.”
About CME: CME Corp is the nation’s premier source for healthcare equipment, turnkey logistics, and biomedical services, representing 2 million+ products from more than 2,000 manufacturers.
With two corporate offices and 35+ service centers, our mission is to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment specification, delivery, installation, and maintenance processes more efficient, and help them seamlessly launch, renovate and expand on schedule. For more information, call 800-338-2372 or visit our website.