The Industry Partnership CNA Training Hub is celebrating its first batch of new nurse aides ready to be certified and join the long-term care workforce
PITTSBURGH, PA – Seven new nurse aides celebrated their graduation from the Nurse Aide Training Center in Pittsburgh on Friday, Aug 8, surrounded by family, supporters, and well-wishers at a ceremony hosted by Transitions of North Huntingdon. Their achievement was in part thanks to Pennsylvania’s first Industry Partnership CNA Training Hub (The Hub).
"Finding this program was truly a blessing,” said Niya Hicks, of McKeesport. “It was the right fit for me – flexible, convenient, and it gave me the chance to start building the career I want. I’m so glad I took the opportunity.”
Hicks has already secured a position with Transitions of North Huntingdon and has enrolled in a nursing program to become a registered nurse.
The newly established Industry Partnership CNA Training Hub is a project of The Training & Education Fund (The Training Fund). The Hub’s goal is not only to help the long-term care industry bring more CNAs to the workforce but to ensure those caregivers are of the highest quality.
“Everyone talks about the sad state of staffing in Pennsylvania’s healthcare industry and this is a first step – taking action to improve staffing in long-term care facilities,” said Monica Leibal, project manager for the Hub. “We’re identifying folks in the community who have a real passion for caregiving and helping others and who might not have the resources to enroll in school on their own. We’re helping to remove the barriers to their success.”
“The fact that we help enrollees get access to these wrap-around services in the community is essential,” said Kayla Thomas, case manager for the Hub. “Childcare, transportation, and even extra money to pay for supplies – other CNA programs aren’t providing that help, and it’s often crucial to their success.”
The Hub is partnering with the Southern Alleghenies Workforce Development Board, the Greater Johnstown Career & Technology Center, and industry employers like Saber Healthcare, Transitions Healthcare, LGAR Health and Rehabilitation Center, and Windber Woods Senior Living & Rehabilitation Center, as well as SEIU Healthcare PA, the state’s fastest-growing healthcare union to coordinate regional resources and connect employers with nurse aide training providers and other community support services.
“PA has been suffering under a staffing crisis in the healthcare industry for years – especially in the long-term care sector,’ said Lisa Williams, executive director of the Training & Education Fund. “The Hub is focusing right now on the Laurel Highlands area because nurse aide training programs in this region have been closing their doors in recent years. Healthcare jobs are family-sustaining jobs that are crucial to a local economy, and we want to make sure this community has access to those jobs.”
“The Training Fund’s mission has always been to help improve the quality of care and services in the healthcare industry and support long-term care workers,” Williams continued. “This new industry partnership is an exciting new development in furthering that work. We’re not only developing quality new caregivers but bringing much-needed jobs to this community.”
The Industry Partnership Grant funding the project is one of several the Training & Education Fund and its partners have received this year alone to help augment and expand programming aimed at building and supporting a stable, highly-trained healthcare workforce to meet the needs of Pennsylvania's aging communities and those with disabilities.
The Hub is actively recruiting new enrollees for its next cohort planned for the Fall in Altoona and is currently seeking to hire nurse aide instructors – both full-time and per diem – in the Altoona and Johnstown areas.
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About the Training and Education Fund
The Training and Education Fund is a nonprofit organization aimed at enhancing the quality and care of services in the healthcare industry. We support healthcare workers by helping them achieve their career and personal development goals and aid healthcare employers to foster a stable, highly-trained workforce to meet the needs of all Pennsylvanians.
