Success Story: --- A nursing assistant at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, Anita, has been working in that job for about 12 years. As a single parent, she never thought she would be able to advance her career to become a nurse.
Because of a program offered by the Tri-Copunty Health Skills Panel (convened by the Workforce Council), Anita was ablt to train as a nursing assistant. The training lasts 12 to 18 months in course work, and then 200 hours of clinical training. As a result, she will be eligible for a significant increase in pay, and will have a position she can be more proud of, with more opportunity for growth.
The skills panel is one of several skills panels that the Workforce Council has organized to find workforce needs in several industries, and provide training solutions for workers in that industry. The panels work with industry representatives, training institutions, and labor organizations to enhance the quality of the workforce in our region. These efforts help businesses to grow and prosper -- thus increasing the number of living wage jobs, and help workers to advance in their careers, while opening new entry-level positions as they move up.
Recently, the South Central Health Skills Panel released its first progress report, which highlights a few of the 32 projects the panel helped fund last year. A copy of that reoprt can soon be read here
Our state has over 8,000 health-care industry openings, and the shortage isn't limited to Washington. An aging population and retiring workforce along with increasingly diverse career opportunities indicates a shortage of health workers throughout the nation for years to come.