Nkechi Odigwe, currently an on-call CNA at MultiCare Auburn Medical Center, is unafraid to reach for her dreams. 

Two years ago, Nkechi was a Nutrition Assistant at Multicare Auburn. She wanted to work toward being a nurse, but knew that there were many obstacles: prerequisites, tests, program costs, applications, and more. 

So she reached out to the Training Fund, which she had heard about from her co-workers. After talking through her career options with a Training Fund staff member, Nkechi enrolled in prerequisite courses at Highline College.  

She also found the Training Fund’s tutoring service for the TEAS exam very helpful. Nkechi notes that the Training Fund “supported me during my nursing prerequisite classes and when I wanted to take my TEAS exam [with] workshops, online tutors, and study books.” 

Nkechi’s Training Fund navigator Joshua Porter (now the Training Fund’s Director of Labor/Management Programs) encouraged her to reach out to local nursing schools for admission. Pretty soon, Nkechi applied and had offers from multiple schools. Joshua helped Nkechi, she says, by “going through my personal statement, resume and cover letter before I submitted it.” Nkechi also got a letter of recommendation from the Training Fund for her nursing residency. 

Nkechi will graduate from Pierce College’s ADN program this spring! After preparing for and passing her NCLEX exam, Nkechi will then work toward her BSN through UW­­-Tacoma’s RN-to-BSN program. 

Training Fund navigators make it easy for members to clarify questions and achieve their goals. Nkechi writes, “The advice and guidance from [Porter] was very helpful. Anytime that I am confused on what to do and call him, he will get back to me without delay.” 

Nkechi wants her coworkers to know that the Training Fund can help them, too: “The Training Fund will help them to advance in their career as they are working and achieve their goal in life. All the assistance and support that they need for their education dream can come from the Training Fund.” 

Contact us today to find out how you can achieve your career and education goals through your Training Fund benefits!

L to R: SUDP Apprentice Malissa Kautz, Training Fund Executive Director Laura Hopkins, SUDP Mentor Jordan Brooks, Sea Mar Senior Vice President Claudia D’Allegri.

Ask anyone working in behavioral health, like licensed Substance Use Disorder Professional counselor Jordan Brooks, and they’ll tell you the same thing: behavioral health workers are needed now more than ever across Washington state. “These programs that create more behavioral health professionals are going to save lives,” Brooks says. 

The Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium (HCAC) is one such program, rising to the challenge of creating more licensed professionals and building pathways into the workforce. 

HCAC offers apprenticeship opportunities in three in-demand behavioral health career pathways: Peer Counseling, Behavioral Health Technician, and Substance Use Disorder Professional. Apprentices earn a wage while learning on-the-job and completing college coursework. 

Apprentices Earn While They Learn 

Apprentices join the program for many reasons. For Malissa Kautz, an SUDP apprentice in the Fall 2022 cohort, experiences in high school inspired her to “become a counselor to help others navigate challenging issues.” 

But after receiving her Bachelors of Arts with an emphasis in Psychology from the University of Washington, she found that she couldn’t get the sort of counseling job she wanted without a Master’s degree.  

That’s where the SUDP apprenticeship program came in, where apprentices get certified by completing paid on-the-job training and technical instruction in one or two years. Kautz learned about the program hosted at Sea Mar Tacoma Adult Inpatient Treatment Center. Hearing about the program and what the counselors were doing, she says, “ignited my curiosity.” 

Kautz has found the apprenticeship program, where apprentices complete college coursework and work in their future field while earning a full-time wage, better fits her schedule and needs. “I don’t have to worry about missing school to go to work,” Kautz says. “I’m still doing my regular job at the same time. It was an easy transition into going to school as well with this program.” 

The program allows Kautz to bring her experiences on-the-job into the classroom, and vice versa. With a small class size, she can get lots of individualized attention from her professor. “I get prompt feedback from professor as issues come up.” 

Kautz has enjoyed her experience in the apprenticeship program. “I’m grateful for this opportunity and all who are involved with the apprenticeship program,” she says. “Without this program, I wouldn’t be able to follow my ideal career path.” 

Extracurricular Support 

Apprentices receive support beyond the classroom, as well. The apprenticeship program recruits and trains mentors who are experienced professionals in their respective careers. Jordan Brooks, Program Manager at Sea Mar Turning Point in Seattle and licensed SUDP counselor, is one such mentor. 

Brooks has a Master’s degree in Addiction Counseling and joined the Sea Mar team in 2021. He is familiar with the challenges to building pathways into the behavioral health workforce. It took him two years to fulfill the state’s strict SUDP requirements. 

Brooks heralds the SUDP apprenticeship program’s effectiveness and innovative approach: “This program is more streamlined and cleared by the Department of Health, and it helps people finish it quicker and more efficiently. Also, since they are getting paid while they go to school, there is an incentive to complete the program.” 

The HCAC behavioral health apprenticeship program coordinates with mentors, apprentices, and employers to meet growing community needs around behavioral health services. With mentors, instructors, and support from HCAC, apprentices are fully equipped to meet state requirements and excel in in-demand healthcare careers. And for employers, pathways such as the HCAC apprenticeship program offers a tremendous return on investment, as it generates greater employee loyalty and higher productivity.

For more information, visit healthcareapprenticeship.org or contact Mark Beaufait, Director of Education Programs. And be sure to check out this KOMO story on the SUDP program at Sea Mar.

From a young age, Galina Barko felt called to help those in need. “My entire life I liked to help people. And especially my family in Ukraine. When my grandma got a stroke, and when my father got sick, I always liked to help out.” For her, the healthcare field is the perfect fit.

Galina is currently an Anesthesiology Tech at Spokane’s MultiCare Valley Hospital, one of the Training Fund’s partner sites. As an Anesthesiology Tech, Galina provides vital and lifesaving care for patients undergoing anesthesia in the Operating Room (OR).

From Housekeeper to Anesthesia Tech

Galina began her healthcare journey at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital as a housekeeper for seven years, first as a general housekeeper and more recently as an OR housekeeper. Support from the Training Fund has enabled Galina to advance her career in healthcare.

While she “really liked” what she was doing in the OR, Galina’s life goal was to become an Anesthesia Tech – an ambition that meant going back to school to get her CNA license. That’s where she first encountered the Training Fund.

“I asked a couple co-workers about how I could get my CNA as fast as I could. And one coworker gave me Joshua Porter’s number, and I connected with [him].” Porter, who is now Director of Labor Management Programs, was a Regional Educational Navigator (REN) with the Training Fund at that time. RENs are Training Fund staff who work one-on-one with members to connect them with resources to support their career goals.

Working with the Training Fund

Together, Joshua and Galina mapped out a career path that helped Galina utilize Training Fund services to build the necessary skills and proficiencies. “He helped me a lot,” Galina said. “He explained [to] me and gave me suggestions on…how to apply [for a CNA program], how the Training Fund can help.”

When Galina needed help improving her English, Joshua found a tutor who could continue working with her to help her succeed. Galina, whose first languages are Ukrainian and Russian, remembered that “after I completed my [CNA] course, he also brought me an idea to have a tutor, and I can work with a tutor, and the tutor can help me improve my English and give me more success. And that’s when I started to work with [Training Fund tutor] Tula Holmes. And we’ve been working together, and she has helped me out…She’s my motivator!”

What’s Next?

With Tula’s support, Galina has now set her sights even higher: a nursing degree. She has enrolled at Spokane Community College to begin preparing for the SCC Nursing Program. Asked how she was feeling, Galina replied, “Excited!…I like to be in school. Some people don’t like it, but I really like it.”

Galina values the confidence and encouragement that she received from her REN and the Training Fund: “I remember Joshua said, ‘Oh, Galina, you will be okay. You will be a good nurse. Don’t think you don’t have enough English to go to college.’ I really needed that because sometimes a new language is tough.”

Galina now advocates for the Training Fund’s programs and services among her coworkers, touting the Fund’s positive impact on her career and professional goals. Particularly after working with her tutor, Galina told everyone she knew, “You can have [a tutor] also… I told a bunch of my friends who need extra help and a free tutor!”

Galina is one of thousands of healthcare workers across Washington state who have benefitted from the Training Fund’s programs, support services, and resources, including: specialty certifications, healthcare apprenticeships, Tuition Assistance, English language support, individualized career counseling and more. The Training Fund is committed to helping its members reach their educational and career goals.