Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE), 2007-2018

Students in the Workforce Training Academy Connect (WTA Connect) program receive contextualized basic skills instruction, instruction in employment and life skills, and vocational training through a short-term certificate course. Each short-term certificate offered in the WTA Connect program ladders into one or more specific certificate, degree, or diploma programs.

The Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program operates in all 34 of Washington’s community colleges to provide basic skills or English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction and training in a range of credit-based occupational training programs along with counseling and other supports. PACE is evaluating the program at Bellingham Technical, Everett Community, and Whatcom Community Colleges.

Instituto del Progreso Latino is a large, non-profit education and employment organization in Chicago that serves the city’s growing Latino population. Launched in 2005, the goal of the Carreras program is to help low-income Latinos improve their basic skills and enroll in occupational training to gain the necessary skills and credentials for jobs as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), and ultimately Registered Nurse (RN). This site received some support from the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program.

Patient Care Pathway program provides short-term condensed training that allows lower-skilled students to take courses for college credit and prepare them for health care degree and diploma programs. The program is split into two tracks depending on the student’s skill level.

The Pathways to Healthcare program offers training to students in sixteen different healthcare professions. Some of the trainings include certified nursing assistant, medical records technician, EMT-Paramedics, and pharmacy technician. The length of training can be as short as the five-week Nursing Assistant training, or up to two or three years for any of the associate degree programs. This site received support from Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program.

The Bridge to Employment in the Healthcare Industry job training programs enable eligible adults to develop the skills and knowledge needed for emerging career opportunities in health care by providing financial assistance, extensive case management, and support services for training. This site received support from Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program.

Serving four large counties in southern Texas, the non-profit Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement’s (VIDA) primary goals are for participants to graduate with an associate’s degree or industry-recognized certificate in a high demand occupation and achieve living-wage employment in their area of study. VIDA provides comprehensive and intensive counseling services and substantial financial assistance to students, and in exchange requires students to enroll full-time and attend weekly counseling sessions.

Health Careers for All (HCA) is designed to meet the region’s expanding healthcare labor needs while simultaneously addressing the training, employment, and advancement needs of its low-income residents by preparing them for jobs such as Nursing Assistant, Medical Office, and Phlebotomist. The program provides students with access to tuition-free occupational training, individual case management, and employment or other supports. This site received support from the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program.

Year Up operates in nine nationwide sites to provide urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Their intensive one-year program provides high school graduates and GED recipients between the ages of 18-24 with a combination of hands-on skill development and corporate internship opportunities.