About Home Care Aide Training

The SEIU Healthcare NW Training Partnership delivers innovative, professional training to 40,000 Home Care Aides in Washington each year.

The Training Partnership is a nonprofit 501(c)3 school formed by SEIU Healthcare 775NW and participating employers, including the State of Washington (employer of record), to train and develop professional long-term care workers to deliver high quality care and support to older adults and people with disabilities. In collaboration with SEIU Healthcare 775NW, employers throughout the state, our College Consortium and our Community Network, the Training Partnership is developing innovative, meaningful training programs to help transform the long-term care profession. The aim is better training for long-term care workers, and in turn, better care for long-term care consumers.

Research and Development

With a dedicated Research & Development team, the Training Partnership uses rigorous, evidence-based tools (i.e., literature reviews, field journaling, focus groups and pilot testing) to learn what employers, workers and clients need. Our innovative use of online tools, such as a Wiki, provides dynamic opportunities for key stakeholders to collaborate on curriculum development. We translate these findings into highly engaging and relevant learning experiences for Home Care Aides.

Building a Skilled Workforce

The Training Partnership works collaboratively with our College Consortium and Community Network members to develop curriculum, build career pathways and strengthen the long-term care workforce. Through this work, we provide entry-level workers with upward mobility. Employers gain a motivated, skilled workforce.  Our College Consortium members include four-year universities and community and technical colleges from around the state. Community Network members include consumer advocacy organizations, workforce development agencies, and state and local agencies. Full lists of College Consortium and Community Network members are available at MySEIUBenefits.org.

Learning Principles

The Training Partnership uses adult learning principles to maximize student engagement. Some of these principles include the idea that adults want immediate, real-world applications. Our trainings are immediately relevant to the Home Care Aide’s work and responsibilities.

Collaboration

We actively invite the participation of our constituents in the creation of curriculum. The wiki allows for interested parties to view and comment on curriculum that is in development.

Themes

We have several themes that are interwoven through all our curriculum such as consumer dignity, cultural inclusivity, and professionalism.

Basic Training Curriculum

After hundreds of research and development hours, the Home Care Aide Basic Training curriculum was released in January 2011. The 70 hours of curriculum is available for students in English, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Cantonese. In addition, the Instructor Training for Basic Training Instructors curriculum has been developed and piloted.