Mock pharmacy trains, empowers youth and disadvantaged adults to launch careers

BOSTON — In the heart of Boston’s Financial District, as people are walking to and from work, three floors up on Federal Street, youth and disadvantaged adults learn the skills and develop the confidence to enter the workforce and provide for themselves and their families.

Through a partnership between CVS Health and Jewish Vocational Service, the Workforce Innovation and Talent Centers (WITC) allows high school students, disabled adults, veterans, refugees and others to take part in all the facets of a real pharmacy – from stocking shelves, to filling fake prescriptions, greeting customers and ringing up purchases.

Running cohorts of 15 to 20 people four times a year, the program trains and prepares individuals to become pharmacy technicians and cashiers.

CVS’s simulated pharmacy is one of three the company has opened in New England – the other two are in Woonsocket, R.I., and at Greater Lowell Technical High School in Tyngsborough.

McKenzie Schiavone, 24, a graduate of Greater Lowell Tech and its WITC co-operative program, credits her training with her success as a young adult in the workforce.

“As a visual and hands-on learner, being able to gain those skills before heading into my employment was critical,” Schiavone said.

As a teen, Schiavone’s parents separated, her family members suffered health issues and she became homeless, struggling to find consistent housing and stay financially afloat during her high school years. But she managed to become a pharmacy tech at 17, working 30 hours a week while thriving in her co-op program and eventually graduating among the top 10 in her class before heading to college.

“I had to become the person who handled the finances, the bills and had to grow up quickly. I went from being a child one day to being an adult but still under 18,” Schiavone said. “I was bouncing around, had multiple, different living situations, and knowing that I had job security with CVS Health was huge for me.”

Schiavone quickly moved up within CVS Health, becoming a lead technician, gaining her national certification as a pharmacy tech, taking on the role of district coordinator and finally last November – seven years after embarking on her pharmacy tech co-op – she was promoted to manager of the Boston WITC, helping people kickstart their careers the way she started hers.

“Being able to continue this cycle in helping those within my community gain the same set of skills that I did is the most fulfilling piece of my role,” Schiavone said.

Schiavone now fosters two little girls and is grateful for the stability her training and employment have provided.

Schiavone’s mentor, Jonathan DaSilva, who helped her move up in her career, couldn’t be prouder of her success and that of hundreds of others.

“To see their success and see they’re going to college and still employed with us, pursuing their career aspirations, for me, it’s amazing,” said an emotional DaSilva, who is Senior Workforce Initiatives Operations Manager for CVS Health. “When you think about McKenzie, for someone to have the journey she had at 17 years old… now she’s leading efforts that helped her to help hundreds of other kids across Massachusetts, it’s amazing.”

DaSilva, also a graduate of Greater Lowell Tech, lost his father during his sophomore year. His teachers taught him how to fasten a tie and helped him step into his dad’s shoes to help his mother and siblings. His gratitude is what led him to launch the WITC program at his alma mater seven years ago.

“I said, ‘How can I take care of the school that took care of me?’” DaSilva told Boston 25 News. “And I wanted to be able to help those students who might be facing the same challenges I [was] facing, but there’s just no one there to help them.”

JVS’s career center program offers training in a variety of fields, from banking to biotech to education and substance addiction.

The organization’s mission is to empower people from diverse communities to find work and launch their careers. They work with CVS and other employer partners to help the companies hire and retain productive employees.

McKenzie’s story is at the heart of the mission of JVS, which was founded in 1938, during the Great Depression, initially to help Jewish people settle in America and build careers, explained Sher Omerovic, Senior Vice President of Programming at JVS. The organization now serves all populations across the region.

“This [partnership with CVS] is one of the most incredible partnerships that I feel JVS has developed 15 years ago,” Omerovic said. “To see a success story like Mackenzie and others is truly a sign of an amazing partnership that is able to create such an impact.”

Last year, CVS and JVS together served 67 people in the pharmacy tech program out of Boston, with virtual, in-person and hybrid trainings. JVS’s goal this year is to serve nearly 125 people.

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