Since its inception last year, the small regional program has ushered 49 nurse aide graduates through classwork and clinicals to graduation
- The mission of the CNA Training Hub is to build a sustainable pipeline of new CNAs to help ease the long-term care crisis and remove barriers to new, family-sustaining jobs in PA’s communities.
- Contributing factors to the state’s long-term care crisis include the physically and emotionally demanding job, higher competition for staff, and a lack of accessible training opportunities.
- Turnover of CNAs in Pennsylvania nursing homes is more than 50% according to CareListings and Cornell ILR School.
PITTSBURGH, PA – On Friday, August 21, eight local women achieved a milestone that matters deeply to the future of so many Pennsylvanians — they graduated from Pittsburgh’s Nurse Aide Training Center. Once certified, these women will be ready to join PA’s long-term caregiver workforce — a workforce struggling to meet the needs of the industry and the ever-increasing number of those who need care.
The ceremony, hosted by Transitions of North Huntingdon in Irwin, Pa., and attended by family, friends, and supporters, marks another win for the state’s first CNA Training Hub (the Hub). The Hub is a bold initiative to build a stronger, more accessible pathway to good, family-sustaining healthcare jobs and to help ease the long-term care staffing crisis currently playing out in our state and across the nation.
Kiara Simmons, of McKees Rocks, Pa., a new graduate of the program, was well aware of the importance and difficulty of the mission facing her and her classmates, but she sees it as a calling.
“Being a caregiver is a difficult job,” Simmons said. “I think it’s easy for people to get burned out, to forget what’s really important, to just go through the motions. I’m hoping I can bring some new energy and love to this calling.”
Simmons and five of her classmates have already been offered employment at Transitions of North Huntingdon.
Pennsylvania’s long-term care sector faces a serious challenge that continues to grow. CNA turnover in the state exceeds 50%, driven by physically and emotionally demanding work conditions, stiff competition for staff between nursing homes and hospitals, and a significant shortage of accessible training opportunities — particularly in rural and outlying communities.
The CNA Training Hub was formed to combat that challenge head-on. A project of the nonprofit Training and Education Fund (TEF) and established in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, the Hub is designed to target regions where nurse aide training is hardest to find and access. It then recruits and vets potential new CNAs and helps them to overcome many of the barriers potential caregivers face when it comes to pursuing education and job training — things like transportation, childcare, and navigating current job schedules.
"Pennsylvania's healthcare industry — especially long-term care — has struggled with a staffing crisis for years, and the CNA Training Hub is our answer to that," said Lisa Williams, Executive Director of the Training and Education Fund. "We're focusing on communities where nurse aide training programs are hard to find or have closed their doors. We want to remove the barriers for people who have a passion for caregiving but not always the resources to pursue it.”
“Healthcare jobs are family-sustaining jobs that are crucial to local economies,” continued Williams. “And we want to make sure everyone has access to them.”
Since launching in 2025, the Hub has guided 39 new caregivers through its program, with some graduates moving directly into positions at long-term care facilities across the region.
The Hub doesn’t just move people through training — it aims to produce caregivers of the highest quality, giving Pennsylvania’s aging communities and individuals with disabilities access to skilled, prepared professionals.
The Industry Partnership grant supporting the Hub is one of several the TEF and its partners have received this year to expand programming focused on recruiting and retaining a stable, highly trained healthcare workforce. The momentum is building.
Nearly 2000 hopefulls make up the waiting list for the CNA Training Hub, highlighting the need for more programs like this across PA.
“We're excited about the Hub's success so far,” said Williams. “And we’re looking forward to expanding this work to more communities across Pennsylvania."
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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.
About the CNA Training Hub
The CNA Training Hub is a project of the Training & Education Fund in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, the Department of Community and Economic Development, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the Southern Alleghenies Workforce Development Board, the Greater Johnstown Career & Technology Center, Saint Francis University, Saber Healthcare, Transitions Healthcare, LGAR Health and Rehabilitation Center, and Windber Woods Senior Living & Rehabilitation Center. We welcome additional partners.
