The Training Fund recently received multiple grants to grow healthcare workforce development initiatives, promote entry-level healthcare pathway and behavioral health programs, and support trust members.
This includes approximately $2 million from The Washington Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board, and two separate grants totaling $6 million from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).
Funding from The Washington Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board and L&I will enable the Training Fund to:
- Increase and diversify workers entering the healthcare workforce
- Expand access to Behavioral Health education and training
- Make a positive impact on workplace needs
The Workforce Board will also support expanding tuition award funding for Training Fund members who fall within the Service Bargaining Unit.
Funding from L&I is based on two contracts with L&I involving pathways to our Introduction to Healthcare Employment and Apprenticeship Programs (IHAP) program. The first provides $4.9 million to continue growth of behavioral health programs. The second, $990,000, will address workforce shortages through pre-apprenticeship and entry-level training.
These grants will play an integral role in growing and diversifying the healthcare workforce, by supporting IHAP and Nursing Assistant-Certified Training Program cohorts as well as Medical Assistant Apprenticeship, Pharmacy Technician, Behavioral Health Technician, and Substance Use Disorder Professional Disorder Apprenticeship cohorts.
The Training Fund has a record of higher-than-average completion rates for our education programs and apprenticeships because we are able to offer supports, benefits, and services. Many of these opportunities are made possible through grant funding just like this, which allows us to meet people where they are at, while promoting equity in all our endeavors.
We are grateful to the Workforce Board and L&I for supporting the Training Fund’s programs and mission through these grants.