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SEIU’s Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) and Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) held a national “Using Our Voice to Build Better Systems” convening in Chicago on October 23-24 with nearly 200 in attendance, including numerous employers, training partners and labor affiliates from throughout the country. Andy Van Kleunen, Executive Director of NSC, presented in the opening plenary on federal job training and education policy and discussed opportunities to work collaboratively on shaping these policies—through WIOA, emerging national apprenticeship initiatives and other vehicles.
Labor-management partnerships continue to provide cutting edge models of sector-based training, and this conference tackled a range of issues—from technology to integration of care to career pathways—all with respect to the related goals of building a skilled workforce and providing quality healthcare. Apprenticeship for front-line workers was also a big topic of conversation, with promising work being modeled in Washington State by the SEIU Healthcare NW Training Partnership.
NSC staff were well-represented at the conference, including Jessie Leslie, National Field Director, and Scott Ellsworth, Director of Business Leaders United (BLU). NSC Leadership Council members Steve Bender, 1199 NE Training and Upgrading Fund; Susan Crane, SkillUp Washington; Diane Factor; Worker Education & Resource Center; Sarah White, COWS; and Faith Wiggins, 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds were also in attendance.
Labor continues to be a key stakeholder group of National Skills Coalition, and we look forward to working together to elevate the effective sector partnerships and work-based training practices being led by H-CAP and their affiliates.
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