The Training Fund is a 34-year old educational trust fund, which is a partnership of the National Union of Hospital & Health Care Workers, AFSCME and 50 contributing healthcare employers. The Fund serves 18,000 Philadelphia area union members and community residents, providing access to information, couseling, academic remediation, and on-site skills training for individuals wanting to enter the workforce or advance within a variety of careers in healthcare and human services.
The Fund works closely with area employers, providing customized educational programs that address employees' literacy needs as well as the need for skills upgrading. Fund staff work closely with employers in growing their own high skilled workers from among their entry-level workforce. The Fund also works closely with employers to address their recruitment and retention needs.
Advocacy for public policy that promotes education, credentialing, and opportunities for the advancement of low-wage workers is another part of the Fund's mission.
The Fund works with a variety of populations, including incumbent healthcare workers, dislocated and underemployed workers, TANF recipients, immigrants, and youth.
The Fund's mission includes building coalitions with employers, government agencies, community based agencies, area school districts, and area schools of nursing and allied health.
The Fund's Learning Center is a 35,000 square foot facility in center city Philadelphia which houses classrooms, nursing laboratories, and computer laboratories. Students are engaged in classroom learning, employer-based internships, hands-on laboratory studies, peer learning groups, and mentoring projects. Beyond traditional learning opportunities, students are exposed to authors, public advocacy, and speakers on issues confronting healthcare workers in their workplace and in their communities.
