DePuy Synthes & OrthoWorx Host Year-End Celebration for Bridge to Employment program

A year-end event took place last week to celebrate the culmination of the second year of the Bridge to Employment (BTE) program at Warsaw Community High School. Last Thursday, in Westminster Hall on Grace College’s campus, students, mentors and program representatives gathered to celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of the BTE program throughout this past school year.

The Bridge to Employment program, funded by Johnson & Johnson, is part of the company’s global BTE initiative, which encourages young people to pursue higher education and challenging careers in STEM2D. The initiative runs three-year college & career readiness programs at the community level. BTE values local leadership, so each site tailors the programs to the particular needs of their community, while the BTE program model ensures common pillars are included across sites. The program draws on a collaborative effort between schools, employers, parents and community groups to provide a diverse population of students with academic enrichment, career exploration, and higher education preparation. BTE students learn about various careers, gain the knowledge they need to pursue higher levels of education, and feel empowered to take the steps necessary to achieve their full potential.

BTE programs have seen great success all over the world. Overall, BTE has a 98% graduation rate and 95% of graduates apply to an institution of higher education. Over 400 Johnson & Johnson employees contribute more than 4,000 volunteer hours every year to programs around the world.

54 WCHS are a part of the program along with 30 mentors and 50 volunteers from DePuy Synthes. The Warsaw program, a collaboration of DePuy Synthes, OrthoWorx and Warsaw Community Schools, presented a variety of activities focused on career readiness, community involvement and college preparedness. This year, some of those activities included: college campus tours at Purdue University and Grace College, mentor sessions, college fairs, job shadowing at DePuy Synthes, STEM2D activities, live surgery, SAT prep, resume building, and volunteer projects.

“Entering into the third and final year of the pilot program for Bridge to Employment, our 54 seniors will continue to work on employability skills and put them to use through either work-based learning projects or volunteer projects. They’ll work alongside their mentors to complete those tasks and each student will work toward applying to college. DePuy Synthes and OrthoWorx will provide opportunities for students to connect with college admissions counselors, scholarship resources and even work with their families to ensure they complete FAFSA,” said Nichole S. Rouached, Director of Talent at OrthoWorx. “As our BTE-Warsaw cohort enters its final year, students will also help recruit the next BTE cohort as we create a sustainable model for the program that will be ongoing in Warsaw schools, strengthening connections and creating opportunities for students to access high-demand, high-wage careers.”

About OrthoWorx

Formed in 2009 with initial funding from the Lilly Endowment through the Orthopedics Capital Foundation, the OrthoWorx initiatives feature community-based strategic collaborations with the orthopedic industry and other community partners to ensure that the Warsaw region continues to reap the social and economic benefits that derive from its position as the Orthopedic Capital of the World®