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w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m D e c e m b e r 2 0 15 • I NSIGH T | 37 I N S I G H T O N WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT B y S e a n P. J o h n s o n G iselle Kalamba has always had a passion for helping people. She explains that her uncle was a doctor and she was inspired by the care he provided others. She'd like to one day be a nurse, perhaps working with patients who are rehabilitating from serious accidents and life- threatening diseases. "I saw what my uncle did and had a chance to help people at the camp in Uganda," Kalamba says. "I really liked everything about it." Her journey toward a nursing career was disrupted by conflict in her native country, the Democratic Republic of part time at Valley Packaging, but it seemed her medical pursuits were on hold. Until now. A new program being rolled out by Fox Valley Technical College aims to help students like Kalamba while also addressing the needs of care providers across the region, who are in the midst of a critical shortage of certified nursing assistants to help deliver care. Dubbed the New Americans: CNA project, the new partnership program seeks to pair recent immigrants eligible to work in the U.S. who have an interest in health care with prospective employers New Americans for hire FVTC program connects aspiring citizens to jobs, easing CNA shortage C O U R T E S Y F V T C Congo, which has been wracked by civil wars and insurgencies for nearly two decades. Kalamba lived in a refugee camp in Uganda for seven years before coming to Appleton. During her stay at the refugee camp, Kalamba studied math, English, some basic health care and conflict management. In 2014, she was granted refugee status by the United States and eventually relocated to Appleton. Free from the specter of war, Kalamba faces a new challenge — mastering English. While she speaks seven different languages, including Swahili and French, her English is still limited. Kalamba has been able to work [continued] » CNAs provide direct care to patients in a variety of settings, and are in short supply. FVTC is launching a program to help new Americans acquire the language and medical skills to fill the positions.