Training a workforce of certified nurse assistants (CNA)
as a solution to the skilled nursing industry’s staffing crisis
The Center for Caregiver Advancement received a $14 million grant from the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP) Resilient Workforce Fund Initiative to expand our CNA and CNA to LVN Registered Apprenticeship Programs* to train more nursing home workers across the state of California. These are paid LVN and CNA training programs so you can “earn while you learn.”
The apprenticeship programs are designed to create a pathway for career advancement for nursing home workers while also providing a solution to the staffing crisis at skilled nursing facilities.
*These programs prepare participants for the state exam for CNA certification and LVN licensing.
If you’re a nursing home worker interested in this program, click the link below.
The Need for Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA)
Long-term care workers at skilled nursing facilities in California provide critical care and health support for the state’s most vulnerable communities. However, high employee turnover and poor staff retention pose massive challenges for the healthcare industry in the nursing home sector, with CNA turnover rates reaching nearly 100%.
At the same time, workers in other roles face significant economic and social barriers that prevent them from being able to enroll in traditional CNA training classes, nurse licensing courses, or nurse assistant licensing programs. These barriers contribute to the shortage of qualified nursing assistants in California.
THE CNA & LVN REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
To help create a pipeline of job-ready nursing home workers, our earn-and-learn apprenticeship program will train 500 new Nursing Assistants in the next three years and pilot a CNA to LVN Registered Apprenticeship Program. The training is free to eligible participants. It includes student support services and financial incentives that address some of the barriers that typically prevent people from pursuing training and career advancement into healthcare jobs.
We will measure the impact of the program on the workers and the industry through an evaluation study.
CNA & LVN Apprenticeship Program: How it Works
A GOAL TO PROVIDE TRAINING TO 500 WORKERS*
This program is for dietary aide, housekeepers, and other workers in nursing homes
who are ready to take the step toward a nursing career.)
EARN AND LEARN Participants are hired as apprentices in a nursing aide position and earn wages while they train and prepare for the state CNA certification exam. They also get paid for their hours in the classroom.
RECOGNIZED CREDENTIAL Apprentices gain a nationally recognized credential from the U.S. Department of Labor.
NO COST Tuition and all out-of-pocket expenses are paid.
STIPENDS Participants receive stipends to cover the costs of childcare, groceries & transportation.
MENTORING Wrap-around services include mentoring from experienced CNAs and LVNs.
RETENTION BONUS Up to $300
The Education Fund: A Labor-Management Partnership
The program is available to unionized skilled nursing facilities** that are in the Education Fund, a training fund for members of SEIU Local 2015. As the only Labor Management Partnership within the skilled nursing industry in California, SEIU Local 2015 and nursing home employers are collaborating with the Center for Caregiver Advancement (CCA) in implementing a framework that advances economic, occupational, gender, and racial equity efforts while providing a pathway to help more people fill CNA & LVN jobs to resolve a nursing staff shortage.
Program Benefits for Nursing Facility Employers:
- 100% of participant wages subsidized for their first four weeks of employment as CNAs
- Ability to shape the program specific to their facility needs
- Reduced employee turnover rates
- Increased employee retention
- Elevated quality of care for nursing home residents
- No recruitment and training costs
* SEIU 2015 incumbent nursing home workers from participating facilities or other community members, where eligible.
** Facilities must be unionized skilled nursing facilities that have the SEIU 2015 Education Fund in their collective bargaining agreement. Eligibility is limited to facilities that meet Education Fund contribution limits.
For interested employers or for people who are interested in training to prepare for the state exam for CNA certification, please reach out to our Education Fund team at edfund@advancecaregivers.org.
Related Reading: Stepping Stone to a Nursing Career
