Washington Jobs Initiative Sectoral Partnership Awards Training Fund $2M

The Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), Employment Security Department, and Career Connect Washington (CCW) recently awarded the Training Fund $2M through the Washington Jobs Initiative Sectoral Partnerships. This funding will play a valuable role in supporting our entry-level healthcare pathway programs and partnerships.

In total, approximately $17M was awarded across eight sectoral partnerships and five key industries to help train and place 3,000 Washingtonians into good, family-sustaining, jobs. As Career Connect Washington’s Healthcare Sector Leader, the Training Fund is proud to continue facilitating cross-sector collaboration, pursuing workforce development opportunities, and promoting healthcare education and career pathways.

Maud Daudon, executive leader of CCW said, “The work of these sectoral partnerships will greatly enhance Career Connect Washington’s progress on providing new pathways to careers, especially for those farthest from opportunity.”

Read WSAC’s Media Release

Learn more about CCW and our work.

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, members, education partners, healthcare employers and staff came together to celebrate the fifteen year anniversary of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training and Education Fund (Training Fund). We celebrated our innovative labor/management partnerships that drive workforce solutions, our members and their successes, our work over the last 15 years and our hopes for the next 15 years. Attendees included member speakers, representatives from major healthcare employers across Washington, and local dignitaries such as SEIU Healthcare 1199NW President Jane Hopkins, and King County Executive Dow Constantine. 

The event concluded with the presentation of the inaugural Diane Sosne Award by Diane Sosne on behalf of the Training Fund to King County Executive, Dow Constantine. The SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training Fund proudly recognizes Dow Constantine, King County Executive, as an exemplary partner for his significant contribution to the healthcare workforce and community; his passion and dedication to equity, access, and workers’ advocacy; and for being a champion of Labor-Management collaboration.

Thank you Dow Constantine, King County Executive, April Sims from Washington State Labor Council, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Providence Swedish, UW Medicine, MultiCare Health System, Providence health system, PeaceHealth St. Joseph, Neighborcare Health, and everyone else who made the evening a grand success!

Learn more about our work and accomplishments over the last 15 years in our press release 15 Years of Advancing Healthcare Careers, Creating Career Pathways and Improving Patient Care across Washington.

The Training Fund’s accomplishments include:

• Supporting more than 1,500 healthcare workers annually with Career Counseling services since 2018
• More than $23.8 million awarded in federal, state, and private grants 
• Six Washington State-registered Healthcare Apprenticeships (spanning medical/pharmacy & behavioral health pathways)
• 106 pre-apprenticeship program participants since 2021
• Career Connect Washington‘s Healthcare Sector Leader
• 167 certified Nursing Assistants have completed our NA-C training program since 2021
• 408 members have used Tuition Assistance to advance their careers and education in 2023 alone — 63% of them identify as BIPOC

The Pro/Tech Conference Travel Funding Award application deadline is right around the corner!

Did you know that we provide our Professional and Technical members with up to $1,500 per year (in reimbursements) to attend local and national conferences?* 

Apply before December 1 for any conferences that you plan to attend in 2024.

Professional and Technical workers also have professional development money available to them.

These benefits enable you to attend conferences, advance your career, and minimize personal out-of-pocket costs.

Here’s how it works:

• Pro/Tech Conference funding can cover the cost of travel (hotel, transportation expenses, etc.) and registration fees.
• Pro/Tech Professional Development benefits can cover the cost of attending a conference, e.g., registration fees.
• Both benefits require members to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

The deadline to apply for a Pro/Tech Conference Travel Funding Award is December 1.**

*Applications must be submitted before the conference.

**For conferences in 2024.

On October 25, 2023, the SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training & Education Fund (Training Fund) marks its 15-year anniversary. This milestone event celebrates innovative labor/management partnerships that drive workforce solutions, and will bring together union members, healthcare employers, education partners, community-based organizations, and staff. Attendees will include member speakers, representatives from major healthcare employers across Washington, and local dignitaries such as SEIU Healthcare 1199NW President Jane Hopkins, and King County Executive Dow Constantine

The Training Fund is a labor/management partnership that brings together Washington’s biggest healthcare union and its largest healthcare employers to align on investing in workforce development and community representation. Established in 2008, the Training Fund has expanded beyond programs and services that promote career advancement for healthcare workers, to also implement several healthcare apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and certified nursing assistant programs. This ground-breaking enterprise leverages the healthcare industry’s greatest strengths – its people and institutions – to collectively keep pace with this rapidly changing, ever expanding and highly complex sector.

The Training Fund’s accomplishments include:

• Supporting more than 1,500 healthcare workers annually with Career Counseling services since 2018
• More than $23.8 million awarded in federal, state, and private grants 
• Six Washington State-registered Healthcare Apprenticeships (spanning medical/pharmacy & behavioral health pathways)
• 106 pre-apprenticeship program participants since 2021
• Career Connect Washington‘s Healthcare Sector Leader
• 167 certified Nursing Assistants have completed our NA-C training program since 2021
• 408 members have used Tuition Assistance to advance their careers and education in 2023 alone — 63% of them identify as BIPOC

Learn more about our work and accomplishments over the last 15 years in our press release 15 Years of Advancing Healthcare Careers, Creating Career Pathways and Improving Patient Care across Washington.

“Behavioral health care requires a skilled and experienced workforce, and King County is committed to investing in a system that puts workers at the center to best meet the needs of providers, patients, and the region as a whole. The Training Fund’s Behavioral Health apprenticeship program is so important, and King County is pleased to fund this collaborative approach that is advancing healthcare careers and building a workforce that will strengthen and enhance the behavioral health system overall. It is amazing to see the impacts of the last 15 years and to hear inspiring stories of these apprentices and their mentors.” 

Dow Constantine, King County Executive

“As we celebrate 15 years, the Training Fund is increasingly a go-to partner for healthcare workforce development and solutions across Washington and the region. We are proud of our accomplishments and of the many productive cross-sector partnerships that have brought them to fruition.” 

 Laura Hopkins, Executive Director, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training & Education Fund

“It’s really important for everyone who works in healthcare to be able to have a career pathway. That’s what the Training Fund does for people. The Training Fund can change people’s lives. The Training Fund meets the needs of all of our communities—including low-income and communities of color. We are proud of the Training Fund’s 15 years of creating career pathways that enable caregivers to reflect the populations they serve and provide equitable access to meaningful work.” 

Jane Hopkins, President, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and Board of Trustees Co-Chair for the Training Fund

“We need healthcare workers desperately. The Training Fund not only helps with recruitment, but also with retention of workers. As we mark 15 years, the breadth of programs and services available to Training Fund members and participants continues to impact the lives of thousands of healthcare workers and, by extension, the care that their patients receive. At Providence-Swedish, we’re proud to have worked with the Training Fund on several innovative programs, including the Advanced Certification for EVS Technicians and the Culinary Pathway Program.” 

Renee Rasilyer-Bomers, Chief Nursing Officer for Providence-Swedish and Board of Trustees Chair for the Training Fund

The multi-employer, labor-management partnership model allows the Training Fund to attract significant grant dollars to expand services for its members and the broader community. The Training Fund has received funding through multiple federal, state, and private grants, including more than $23.8 million in grant funding. We truly appreciate this important support from our funding partners. Special thanks to the following funders:

• State of Washington Department of Labor & Industries
• U.S. Department of Labor’s Healthcare Career Advancement Program Closing the Skills Gap Grant
• King County American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Grant
• Seattle Office of Economic Development
• Ballmer Group

Learn more about our work and accomplishments. Read our press release 15 Years of Advancing Healthcare Careers, Creating Career Pathways and Improving Patient Care across Washington