 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Susan A. Chapman, PhD, RN1, Ruth E. Matthias, PhD2, Ellen M Morrison, PhD1, and A.E. Benjamin, PhD3. (1) Center for the Health Professions, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 410, San Francisco, CA 94901, (415) 502-4419, susanac@itsa.ucsf.edu, (2) School of Public Policy & Social Research, University of California, Los Angeles, 3250 Public Policy Building, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656, (3) School of Public Policy and Social Research, University of California, Los Angeles, 3250 Public Policy Building, Los Angeles, CA 90095
The State of California conducted a $25 million, 18-21 month, workforce training initiative supported by Welfare to Work and Workforce Investment Act funds. The goal was to recruit, train, and retain workers in long-term care focusing on certified nursing assistants, home health aides, and in-home personal care workers, but also supported psychiatric technician, LVN, and RN education. Regional collaboration was emphasized in the competitive proposal process. The 12 funded projects ranged from single county efforts to a16-county collaboration in Northern California and enrolled about 5,000 participants. A combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches were used including site visits, semi-structured interviews, baseline data collection, and surveys. Each site received an initial onsite evaluation visit. Four sites were chosen for more in-depth evaluation that added interviews with program staff and participants, early departure surveys, and a survey of training satisfaction conducted during and six months following training. Findings indicate that factors related to strong leadership and prior experience in collaboration across counties were important in getting started and also to success in achieving enrollment and completion goals on target. In general, recruiting potential participants was not difficult. However, problems with job readiness, English proficiency, and the criminal background check process limited the ability of many potential participants to enroll in or complete training. Findings also indicate that the need for social, financial, and instrumental support was critical to successful completion of the training program for many participants.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.