Case Study
How a leading US healthcare system strengthened its SQL and Salesforce technology talent with UST Step IT Up
OUR CLIENT
This integrated healthcare organization delivers care across the United States, supporting millions of patients through a complex ecosystem of clinical and enterprise systems. With a strong focus on community impact, equity, workforce development, and sustainability, the organization invests in technology and talent strategies that strengthen operational resilience while advancing long-term organizational values.
THE CHALLENGE
Addressing technology skill gaps while expanding access to tech careers
The organization faced a growing need for specialized SQL and Salesforce development skills to support enterprise reporting, analytics, and customer relationship platforms. Like many healthcare systems, it encountered difficulty sourcing experienced talent in a competitive market, particularly candidates with healthcare-ready skills, rooted in the local community. The organization wanted to:
- Build a more diverse and inclusive technology workforce
- Create career pathways for high-demand IT roles
- Ensure new hires are prepared for healthcare-specific environments, not just generic technology work
- Balance immediate talent needs with long-term workforce sustainability
Traditional hiring and training models could not deliver the required combination of speed, readiness, and culture alignment to meet the company’s goals. The organization needed a partner that could design a tech talent development strategy tailored to its technical requirements and community-focused hiring initiative.
THE TRANSFORMATION
A customized recruit, train, deploy model for technology training
UST partnered with the healthcare organization to deliver UST Step IT Up, a tailored workforce development program designed specifically for the client’s technology ecosystem and operating environment. UST’s end-to-end engagement included:
- Targeted candidate assessment and selection—aligned to desired demographics and local geography
- Two training cohorts—one for SQL training and a second for Salesforce development skills, with eight participants per cohort
- An intensive 80-day workforce development program—combining technical instruction, soft skills education, mentorship, and a capstone project
- Salesforce certification training—embedded directly into the Salesforce curriculum to ensure students gained industry-recognized credentials
- A structured transition model—where graduates worked onsite for six months before being hired full-time, reducing hiring risks and improving readiness
- Ongoing tracking and support after placement—to ensure success and long-term talent retention
Unlike off-the-shelf training programs, this engagement was purpose-built for the client’s systems, teams, and hiring needs. As a result, the healthcare organization gained technologists who could immediately contribute to mission-critical initiatives and grow with the company over time.
THE IMPACT
Achieving workforce, business, and community goals
The UST Step IT Up engagement helped the healthcare company achieve these talent acquisition goals:
- 100% retention—with all 16 UST Step IT Up graduates still employed by the organization
- Strengthened SQL and Salesforce technology talent—to support critical business systems and initiatives
- Reduced reliance on external hiring—while filling hard-to-source technical roles
- A repeatable blueprint for talent acquisition and upskilling—that can be applied to future skills gaps
In addition to filling immediate talent needs, the program reinforced the organization’s commitment to community investment, upward mobility, and inclusive growth, while providing a cost-effective alternative to traditional talent acquisition models.
If you’re interested in building a customized technology workforce development program, click here to explore how UST Step IT Up can help you close critical skills gaps while strengthening long-term talent sustainability.
RESOURCES
https://www.ust.com/en/guide-to-hidden-talent
https://www.ust.com/en/insights/what-is-intelligent-process-automation