Pro/Tech Conference Travel Funding Award deadline is Dec. 1

Pro/Tech Conference Travel Funding Award deadline is Dec. 1

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.

Celebrating 15 years of Healthcare Partnerships!

Celebrating 15 years of Healthcare Partnerships!

White background with faded colorful lines. Centered blue text "Thank you for 15 years of partnerships! Training Fund logo on the right side and 15 year event logo on the left side.

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.

Our 15-year anniversary event celebrates our accomplishments, partnerships, and members. Together, we are creating opportunity and equity for our healthcare workforce community. 

Program participants and members will share their victories and stories. Labor and mangement partners will speak about the successes that have come from partnership with the Training Fund.

The event will conclude with the presentation of the inaugural Diane Sosne Award.

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.

Image of the 15 year event program

“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

I want other people like me who are interested in health care to not give up on their dreams and make the most out of learning! I am so grateful for the help I got from the [Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium] which helped set a pathway for me to become an Orthopedic Surgeon…The teachers, nurses, and the people leading the program were all so friendly and engaging–they welcomed my curiosity and made me excited about a career in healthcare!

Narielle Mendoza

Tacoma-area high school student, 2023 NA-C Training Program graduate

“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

There are lots of people who are looking for advancement and who want to climb the ladder. But it’s so difficult working our job and it’s hard to be connected to the resources. It’s so helpful that there’s really one place that you can go to, like the Training Fund, for your continuing education and career needs.

Alex Knox

Nursing Assistant at MultiCare Deaconess

“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

I didn’t think that I would be the first from my cohort to graduate and get my MA-C, but I did. My instructor was amazing – he made learning fun, and helped me believe in even furthering my education beyond a CMA for the future. I was able to pass the exam because I attended the study sessions.

And while waiting to get my license, I was offered a position to be an apprentice at UW Primary Care! It’s funny to think how things come full circle and you end up where you are supposed to be.

Kara Whitmus

CMA, Summer 2023

“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
Additional Funding for RN members

Additional Funding for RN members

The Training Fund  is pleased to offer our RN members additional Tuition Assistance and Professional Development funding for a limited period.

Funding is available on a first-come-first-serve basis, so apply now to maximize this opportunity!

Contact your Navigator to learn more and apply for these funding opportunities.

These amazing opportunities are available to support active RN members for two years or until available funds are exhausted, whichever comes first. If you have already spent your Tuition Assistance or Professional Development funding, you can apply now for additional Scholarship and/or Professional Development support.

RN Scholarship funding
Woman with laptop

Scholarship funding is additional Tuition Assistance (TA) support that is available to RN members who have already exhausted their existing TA funds. Similar to Tuition Assistance, this Scholarship funding is prorated based on the member’s FTE.

Who is eligible for Scholarship funding?

You are eligible for additional TA Scholarship funding if you:

  • Are an active RN Training Fund member who has been approved for Tuition Assistance (TA)
  • Have already spent what is already available to you through TA
How much Scholarship funding can I apply for?

Similar to TA, Scholarship funding is prorated based on your FTE. The total amount available to you per calendar year* is:

FTE Scholarship Funding Level
0.75 – 1.0 $3,000
0.5 – 0.74 $2,250
0.1 – 0.49 $1,500

*while funds are still available

For how long is Scholarship funding available?

Scholarship funding is available to RN members who are actively using TA, and have already exhausted available TA from September 01, 2023, moving forward.  You can apply for Scholarship funding through 2023 and 2024. This is a limited one-time opportunity, based on first-come-first-serve model until available funds are exhausted.

If you’re already actively using the TA benefit in 2023, you can apply for Scholarship funding for any eligible TA-associated costs during 2023.

What is not covered by Scholarship funding?

You cannot apply for Scholarship funding if you are:

  • not a current TA user.
  • currently on academic hold.
  • planning to apply this funding to cover retroactive costs 
How do I request Scholarship funding?

Contact your Navigator to learn more and apply for this funding.

Note: You must be a current TA user to qualify for this funding. Not sure if you have signed up for TA or already spent your available TA? Contact your Navigator to find out.

Have questions about Scholarship funding? Contact your Navigator to learn more and get started.
RN Professional Development Support
A nurse applies for scholarships on their laptop.

Professional Development support is additional Professional Development (PD ) funding that is available to RN members who have already exhausted existing PD funds. It can be used to cover CEUs and courses, specialty certifications, and professional memberships.

Who is eligible for Professional Development support?

You are eligible to apply for additional PD support funding if you:

  • are an active RN Training Fund member
  • have already exhausted your PD funds
How much Professional Development support can I apply for?

Currently, RN members can apply for up to $300 as part of your core benefits. PD Support funding allows you to apply for an additional $200 (i.e., $500 total) to cover professional development and CEU costs.

For how long is Professional Development support available?

PD Support funding is available to RN members who have already exhausted available PD funds. You can apply through 2023 and 2024. This is a limited one-time opportunity, based on first-come-first-serve model until available funds are exhausted.

What is not covered by Professional Development support?

You cannot use PD Support funding to cover retroactive costs.

How do I request Professional Development support?

Contact your Navigator to learn more and apply for this funding.

Note: Not sure who your regional navigator is? Not sure if you have already spent your available PD funds? Use the Find My Navigator tool to connect and find out.

Have questions about PD Support funding? Contact your Navigator to learn more and get started.
Training Fund and HCAC Host BH Pathways Event

Training Fund and HCAC Host BH Pathways Event

On June 20, the Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium (HCAC) and Training Fund hosted stakeholders from across the state invested in developing educational pathways to behavioral health degree programs. Faculty, administrators, and HCAC staff members gathered to brainstorm ways to meet the state’s behavioral health needs through educational pathways across the state system.

Cynthia DeRocher, an apprentice in the Behavioral Health Technician program, spoke at the event. She said, “The opportunity to do the apprenticeship program and work at the same time has been such a blessing. My employer has been great about accommodating any needs I have. The program has provided any and all resources including their time to assist with any questions on how to do what’s needed to be successful.”

She continued: “I have had help from my teacher on how to format my papers. There is tutoring available, you can schedule a session for help with writing your papers. All the material we need and go over in class is available through the Canvas program which is amazing. Everything necessary for success is available.”

Training Fund ED Laura Hopkins alongside Behavioral Health Tech apprentices Jessica Ramirez and Cynthia DeRocher.

HCAC and the Training Fund are committed to addressing the needs of the state’s behavioral health workforce. The Behavioral Healthcare Apprenticeship Program is a registered statewide apprenticeship program that directly responds to these needs and aims to: promote accessibility to services, build a pathway of skilled and diverse candidates, and stabilize the behavioral health workforce through increased employee motivation and retention.

This innovative program offers three career pathways to address specific areas of concern:

  • Behavioral Health Technician: 1-year program
  • Peer Counselor: 1-year program
  • Substance Use Disorder Professional: 2-year program

Learn more at our webpage highlighting the three programs and sign up to stay up-to-date.

Pro/Tech Conference Travel Funding Award deadline is June1

Pro/Tech Conference Travel Funding Award deadline is June1

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 June 1 for any conferences that you plan to attend between October and December 2023.

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 June 1.**

*Applications must be submitted before the conference.

**For conferences between October 1 and December 31, 2023.

From High School to NA-C: Narielle Mendoza

From High School to NA-C: Narielle Mendoza

As a high school senior, Narielle Mendoza has a busy schedule: classes, tests, extracurriculars. But that didn’t stop her from becoming a Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) earlier this year with the Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium (HCAC).

In collaboration with Tacoma Public Schools, HCAC now offers an innovative NA-C training program for high school students. As the healthcare needs of the state grow, so too does the need for trained healthcare workers. HCAC’s NA-C training program offers a roadmap to filling that need.

Through the program, Narielle learned the ins and outs of life as an NA-C by taking part in classroom work and in-person labs. She even did her clinicals at Multicare Tacoma, shadowing nurses there and putting her skills to the test: “I actually got to use that information [from class and labs] and expand on my knowledge…[It was rewarding] seeing patients in real life and seeing nurses and doctors and other health care professionals. It was truly amazing and inspiring and I got the greatest experience from that.”

Narielle is passionate about helping others live their best, healthiest lives. The NA-C training program’s staff ensured that her passion was met with expert guidance. Narielle credits the instructors: “The teachers, nurses, and the people leading the program were all so friendly and engaging. They welcomed my curiosity and made me excited to have a healthcare career.” 

Narielle had family support along the way, too. Her father, himself a CNA, offered her constant encouragement and guidance. They bonded over her experience in the NA-C program: “He loves healthcare as much as I do and is always inspiring me to see how much you can make a difference to help people who need care.” Narielle’s father gave her some timeless advice, too: learn from your mistakes.

Now, Narielle is set on finishing out her senior year of high school before college begins. She plans to spend this summer working at a nursing home, where she will put her NA-C skills to use: in her words, she will “assist in taking vital signs and measurements such as urine, weight, and blood pressure; feeding; dressing; cleaning; hygiene care; and assisting in exercise.”

With ambitions of becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon, Narielle’s journey is just beginning. Through the HCAC’s NA-C training program and Tacoma Public Schools, she has taken a big step toward living out her dreams. To all the prospective NA-C program applicants, Narielle offers these wise words: “It might be a tough journey to reach your goals, but keep going because you will be proud that you conquered so much. Your next journey is even more fulfilling for people looking up to you to save their lives!”