Longstanding Partner Pacific Dental Services Receives Employer of the Year Award
Concorde Career Colleges was awarded the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) highest award at the association's annual conference on Oct. 4, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine in San Diego, Calif. The college was named School of the Year, and its longtime corporate partner and Concorde scholarship sponsor Pacific Dental Services (PDS) received the Employer of the Year award.
Concorde is the healthcare division of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (UTI). Concorde's California campuses in Garden Grove, North Hollywood, San Bernardino, and San Diego offer career-focused hands-on healthcare programs in dental hygiene, medical assisting, nursing, physical therapist assisting, respiratory therapy, and more. Concorde has helped train students for over 60 years. Concorde is proud to work with some of the region's innovative healthcare providers like Pacific Dental Services to provide students with the training and hands-on skills needed to help prepare them for careers in healthcare.
"The CAPPS School of the Year award celebrates Concorde's excellence in student outcomes, and the hard work and dedication by our faculty and staff in support of our students," commented Kevin Prehn, Concorde chief operating officer. "I am incredibly proud of the impact that Concorde has made in helping prepare California students for careers across the wide range of healthcare disciplines. The CAPPS award further emphasizes our commitment to the students, employers, and communities we serve in preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals. I also am excited to see our longtime employer partner, PDS, named Employer of the Year. Through our partnership with PDS and other healthcare providers, we will continue to change lives and address the nation's healthcare skills gap."
The Concorde partnership with Pacific Dental Services, dating to 2008, helps prepare students to achieve careers as dental professionals and to deliver clinical excellence to the communities they serve. The Pacific Dental Services Foundation proudly offers the Dr. Carolyn Ghazal Dental Assistant Scholarship, aimed at molding passionate, servant-hearted dental assistant leaders. The scholarship provides need-based financial aid, mentorship, and on-the-job training.
"Concorde and Pacific Dental Services share an unwavering passion for teaching and training the dental professionals of tomorrow," added Rose Olague, PDS director of dental assistant programs and school relations. "The college's faculty, staff, and leadership continually exhibit the high level of integrity and creativity needed to work in partnership to help drive successful student outcomes and employment upon graduation. We are honored to be awarded CAPPS 2023 Employer of the Year."
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected demand nationally for dental assistants and dental hygienists, estimating the 10-year job growth outlook for both at 7 percent, faster than the average for all occupations.1
1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of Dental Hygienists and Dental Assistants to grow 7% between 2022 and 2023. See https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm and https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-assistants.htm, viewed Oct. 11, 2023. Concorde is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary.
