Welcome to our new members from Providence St. Peter Hospital! You will be eligible for our programs and services beginning November 1, 2022.
We offer education and career advancement programs so that you can develop your skills, advance your career, and improve your professional opportunities. After November 1, please fill out our online member application to access available academic and career navigation services.
Educational support services, such as academic support workshops, math and science tutoring, English language classes, and basic computer classes
Professional Development support, such as discounted CPR and Life Support certifications, reimbursement for activities like specialty certifications and conferences/courses that carry CEU credits, and free access to CE Unlimited courses.
Tuition Assistance
Once you have worked at St. Peter for one year, you may also qualify forTuition Assistance, which covers tuition, fees, and book costs for a wide variety of healthcare education programs at regional colleges and universities. But even if you have not yet worked at St. Peter for one year, please contact us to explore academic support and resources, career planning, and how we can help you reach your goals.
Your Tuition Assistance application deadline is December 15, 2022 if you plan to attend school beginning April 2023 or later. We encourage members to contact us early to work with a Training Fund Navigator on your education plan.
Click here to learn more about Tuition Assistance. To begin the Tuition Assistance process, submit a Member Application form at the link below.
If you are currently in school and have already been receiving Tuition Reimbursement from your previous Education Fund, you may be able to add Tuition Assistance from the Training Fund. Please complete a Member Application form and connect with us to learn more about next steps.
Learn About Your Benefits!
Please contact the Training Fund’s Partner Liaison for St. Peter, Elena Bernardi, to learn more about our programs and services.
We look forward to serving you as you pursue your education and career goals.
If you have questions or need help applying, please don’t hesitate to call the Training Fund office (425-255-0315) or email us.
“The training fund is here! For more than a decade we’ve been pushing Providence to join and with this great win we now have access to the great wrap around services our health career fund has to offer. This good news means workers who might be struggling financially wont be stopped by the cost of educational and career advancement. This helps recruitment and retention and establishes an internal pathway to help fill positions. This has been a long time coming and is a real game changer for folks here at St. Pete’s.”
Grant to fund regional health care career opportunities
SEATTLE, WA — Kaiser Permanente Washington has announced more than $750,000 in funding for the Service Employees International Union Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training and Education Fund. The Training Fund also works with employers, unions, and government agencies as the Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium to support health care career pathway programs. These programs match the diversity of our Washington communities and bring underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals into health care occupations. This work helps to alleviate ongoing staffing shortages in hospitals and health care facilities.
Funding from Kaiser Permanente will expand and enhance 2 regional career pathways to prepare people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds and other underserved communities for careers in health care. The effort is in partnership with the Seattle Jobs Initiative. The programs will create access to entry-level occupations with support to advance a career pathway of the participant’s choosing, while also promoting equity, advancement, and livable wages.
“We continue to see ongoing demand for health care workers across the state to address increasing care needs,” said Jocelynne McAdory, vice president of human resources and community health at Kaiser Permanente Washington. “Health care jobs are critically important for the health of our community, and these career-connected pathways and learning experiences will help expand diversity and the skilled pool of health care talent in Washington.”
The grant from Kaiser Permanente includes funds for the Training Fund to embed financial literacy and coaching into their program support offerings. This is intended to facilitate upward mobility and financial security for participants.
Within 3 years, the provided funding will support 5 health care worker cohorts that will move through Introduction to Healthcare Employment and Apprenticeship Programs. These are health care exploration and apprenticeship preparatory programs that provide certified nursing assistant certification, health care basic skills, and professional development experiences, in alignment with career pathways like apprenticeships.
The funding will also support 13 additional cohorts through the Advanced Certification for Environmental Services Technicians certificate program. This program enables individuals currently working in lower wage and entry-level health care roles opportunities to develop their skills, promotes quality patient care, and establishes a path to career advancement and possible wage gains.
“We are very excited and grateful for Kaiser Permanente’s partnership in helping to diversify and support community members entering into health care,” said Laura Hopkins, executive director at the Training Fund. “Their support will make a big difference in the health care sector.”
The Training Fund, based in Renton, is a labor-management partnership that supports innovative training, education, and career development for health care workers and health care employers, including at Kaiser Permanente. The Training Fund maximizes employee talents, proactively meets industry needs, and ensures high-quality patient care through a diverse and skilled health care workforce. The Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium is a partnership created to provide all health care employers within Washington state access to the benefits of skilled apprenticeship training for their workforce.
In addition to Kaiser Permanente, the Training Fund also serves health care employers and health care employees at UW Medicine, MultiCare, Swedish Medical Center, and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health facilities, among others.
About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training and Education Fund
The SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training and Education Fund (Training Fund) is a non-profit 501(c)3 labor-management partnership founded in 2009. We are dedicated to innovative training, education, and career development for healthcare workers that maximizes their talents, proactively meets industry needs, and ensures high-quality patient care through a diverse and skilled healthcare workforce. The Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium (HCAC) is a multi-union and multi-employer Washington State-registered Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, and is administered and sponsored by the Training Fund with a wide range of partners, open to all Washington healthcare employers.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.
Welcome to our new members from Neighborcare Health! You will be eligible for our programs and services beginning September 1, 2022.
We offer education and career advancement programs so that you can develop your skills, advance your career, and improve your professional opportunities. After September 1, please fill out our online member application to access available academic and career navigation services.
Educational support services, such as academic support workshops, math and science tutoring, English language classes, and basic computer classes
Professional Development support, such as discounted CPR and Life Support certifications, reimbursement for activities like specialty certifications and conferences/courses that carry CEU credits, and free access to CE Unlimited courses.
Tuition Assistance
Once you have worked at Neighborcare for one year, you may also qualify forTuition Assistance, which covers tuition, fees, and book costs for a wide variety of healthcare education programs at regional colleges and universities. But even if you have not yet worked at Neighborcare for one year, please contact us to explore academic support and resources, career planning, and how we can help you reach your goals.
Tuition Assistance application window: September 1 – October 15 (to cover school beginning January 2023 or later)
We accept applications year-round and award Tuition Assistance after October 15. We encourage members to contact us early to work with a Training Fund Navigator on your education plan.
If you are currently in school and have already been receiving Tuition Reimbursement from your previous Education Fund, you may be able to add Tuition Assistance from the Training Fund. Please contact us to discuss this.
Learn About Your Benefits!
Please contact the Training Fund’s Partner Liaison for Neighborcare, Elena Bernardi, to learn more about our programs and services:
Already enrolled in a tuition-assistance program and need to get transferred to the Training Fund? Please complete a Member Application form and connect with us to learn more about next steps.
For a while, I was a single mom, I was in an abusive relationship and I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life and I was unsure about the future. After I left the situation I was in, I was totally lost; I had no education and no hope, I was utterly terrified in the world with three small children to support.
I met my now husband when I was 31. He helped put me through MA school so that if anything were to ever happen to him, I would have a future for myself and my children. As we have built a life together, I have realized that an education was always going be put on the back burner due to having kids, and having responsibilities outside of work; I became comfortable in my position as an MA. I never thought that being an RN would be feasible or within my grasp because of not being able to pay for it, or finding the time for school, or even having the emotional capability of doing so. So when we fought for our Training Fund, I did not think that it would benefit me because I had so many other things on my plate. Because we have a strong union at Neighborcare we were able to win the Training Fund for our medical assistants in our new contract. This is life changing for me–I now see that an education is within my grasp.
I now have the opportunity to further my career, to build more stability, but most of all, to show my children that it’s never too late to become what you want, to aspire to be more. From my personal experience, I’m not only lifting myself up, but I am also showing my daughters that generational poverty doesn’t have to be a cultural norm and that financial stability and self-worth are achievable. I am showing all of my children that it’s never too late to dream.
Kristin Ortega
MA,High Point Clinic
We look forward to serving you as you pursue your education and career goals.
If you have questions or need help applying, please don’t hesitate to call the Training Fund office (425-255-0315) or email us.
Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 4, 2022
CONTACT:
Mary Grace Antony, Director of Communications & Community Relations
Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium | 425-919-7365
NEW BEHAVIORAL HEALTH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM MEETS URGENT NEED FOR VITAL SERVICES
(Seattle, WA): This fall, the Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium (HCAC) is launching a new Behavioral Health Apprenticeship program to meet the urgent statewide need for vital behavioral healthcare services.
According to data from Mental Health America’s 2021 report, more than 22% of adults in Washington state reported having some kind of mental illness, and a quarter of them reported not being able to access behavioral health care.
The statewide and national behavioral healthcare crisis has accentuated the need for:
An adequate, qualified, committed, and skilled professional workforce: Behavioral health needs have skyrocketed as a result of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, and our healthcare systems are struggling to meet this demand. As a result, people are waiting too long to access services.
A diverse workforce: Many people don’t receive effective care from healthcare professionals who do not share or understand their life experiences, speak their language, or have contextual knowledge of their unique lived experiences.
The Behavioral Healthcare Apprenticeship program is a practical solution directly responding to these needs. This Washington state-registered apprenticeship program is building a pathway to increase the number of trained, skilled, and diverse professionals who will grow and stabilize the behavioral health workforce.
This innovative apprenticeship program combines flexible educational coursework requirements with supervised on-the-job training and provides financial incentives to employers that agree to early participation. It currently offers three career pathways:
Behavioral Health Technician: One-year program
Peer Counselor: One-year program
Substance Use Disorder Professional: Two-year program
“The need for behavioral health services has never been greater, but there is a severe shortage of qualified behavioral health professionals to meet that need,” says Dow Constantine, King County Executive. “These apprentices are the first cohort in a program to increase wages and train and retain new workers to care for our community. This innovative program will transform our community by expanding opportunities, particularly in communities of color. I’m grateful that King County was able to provide funding for this important project and pleased to partner with so many governments and organizations to make it possible.”
“The behavioral healthcare sector has an urgent need for more staff and this apprenticeship program is the workforce solution,” says Laura Hopkins, Executive Director, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training & Education Fund, which sponsors the HCAC. “Apprenticeships are an accessible pathway into healthcare because apprentices earn while they learn. And employers get a huge return on their investment, starting immediately and growing over time. We’re thrilled to work with our partners on this exciting program.”
“Recruiting is a constant challenge for community safety net agencies like Comprehensive Life Resources,” says Kim Zacher, CEO of Comprehensive Life Resources. “Behavioral Health apprenticeships would give us one more tool to build a behavioral health workforce that has been taken for granted and overlooked for too long. There are so many reasons that traditional college education, required for many behavioral health roles, may not be feasible for someone. A paid apprenticeship that combines on-the-job learning with relevant coursework opens the door for a more diverse group of people to enter the behavioral health field. We see a lot of opportunity within our own workforce and within our client base to take advantage of this program.”
“MERIT Resource Services is grateful for the opportunity to build our substance use disorder treatment workforce. We need licensed substance use disorder professionals and certified peer counselors to expand our great work with individuals and families experiencing alcohol and other drug problems. Providing individuals in substance use disorder treatment the recovery capital needed to gain remission and improve their quality of life is rewarding work,” says Shereen Hunt, Executive Director of MERIT Resource Services.
“The COVID pandemic has exposed the tremendous need for behavioral health services for our communities,” says Diane Sosne, former President, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “The educational approach of this apprenticeship program meets the needs of all of our communities—including low income and communities of color. The ‘earn while you learn’ model provides a unique career pathway that enables caregivers to reflect the populations they serve and provide equitable access to meaningful work. We are proud to help launch our state’s innovative Behavioral Health Apprenticeship program.”
“Even before the pandemic, it was very clear that the workforce availability was declining. Then you add the pandemic and it becomes apparent that grassroot efforts are needed now more than even. This model allows members of BIPOC communities the opportunity to enter this industry, which is sometimes perceived as unattainable and/or unaffordable. This program will open so many doors. It will allow us to better serve our communities,” says Charlotte Jones, VP and Chief People & Diversity Inclusion Officer, Sound Health.
“The lack of an adequate behavioral health workforce comes with significant consequences. It means people seeking behavioral health services cannot access the care they need when they need it,” says Melody McKee, Program Director for the Behavioral Health Training, Workforce and Policy Innovation Center at Harborview Medical Center – Behavioral Health Institute. “We can, and must, drive innovation that broadens the pathways into the behavioral health field. The apprenticeship program does that, and the ‘earn while you learn’ foundation of apprenticeships fosters equitable access into a profession that desperately needs more workers.”
Special thanks to the Ballmer Group and King County for their innovative and visionary support of this program, and to the UW Medicine – Harborview Behavioral Health Institute for their partnership on this project. The HCAC would also like to thank the following additional funders:
City of Seattle Office of Economic Development
King County
State of Washington Department of Labor & Industries
S. Department of Labor’s Healthcare Career Advancement Program Closing the Skills Gap Grant
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP0152, awarded to King County, Washington by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium is a multi-union and multi-employer Washington State-registered Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee. We are open to all healthcare employers in Washington.
The Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium is sponsored by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training and Education Fund. The Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee membership includes partners from healthcare employers, labor unions, and Washington State.
Our vision is to build a state-wide healthcare educational pathway through multiple apprenticeship opportunities, that is used by healthcare employers across the state and promotes accessibility, retention, and stability within the healthcare workforce.
The Training Fund offers free access to Continuing Education (CE) courses. We are now partnering with HealthStream CE Unlimited to offer CE Courses.
What is HealthStream CE Unlimited?
HealthStream’s comprehensive course library includes lots of interactive learning material that focuses on compliance training, licensure, upkeep training, and more.
HealthStream is also used by many hospital systems, making it easier to channel relevant courses to specific employee categories. This makes it easier for members to access courses that better fit their current skillsets and areas of operation.
This interactive and customizable platform is regularly updated to reflect evolving healthcare needs and concerns. There are also many useful features like tracking a user’s license expiration and sending reminders, suggesting other related courses, and much more.
HealthStream FAQs
I am a CE Direct user. What do I need to do to transition to CE Unlimited? If you had an active CE Direct account on 2/1/2022, we created a HealthStream account for you. Please contact us for access or submit this form to gain access.
I was using CE Direct previously. How do I access my past courses and transcripts? We are happy to help with this. Please contact us.
I’m not currently a CE Direct user, but I want to become a CE Unlimited user. How do I access CE Unlimited? Please submit this form to apply for free access to HealthStream CE Unlimited.
How much will HealthStream CE Unlimited cost? There is no cost for Training Fund members.
Other questions? Please contact us for more information.
