The Education Fund and SWEC
In the late 1990s, SEIU United Health Care Workers-West began recruiting, training and supporting people from low-income communities in Oakland to become certified nurse assistants in unionized long-term care facilities. At the time, many employers were having a hard time recruiting staff to fill entry-level healthcare positions.
The Shirley Ware Education Center (SWEC) was founded by SEIU UHW-West in 1998 (then Local 250) with funding from the city of Oakland. Partnering with long-term care employers, the center provided needed training for new workers from Oakland's low-income neighborhoods. Since then, the union has become increasingly interested in implementing career upgrade training programs for the benefit of healthcare workers and to fill the healthcare workforce skills gap.
In December 2004, SEIU UHW-West bargained with a number of employers to create the SEIU UHW-West & Joint Employer Education Fund. SWEC has since been integrated into the Education Fund. Through SWEC, the Education Fund has accessed grants to provide additional programs and training opportunities, including upgrade training for incumbent acute care workers and current LVN to RN training program in Southern California. With grants from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), SWEC also currently offers Health and Safety and Hazardous Materials training for healthcare workers throughout Northern and Southern California.
2009 Health & Safety Training Schedule
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Date Class Title Location Start Time End Time To Register
Phone or Email2/15/2008 HazMat Kaiser San Jose/Santa Clara 8:00A 4:30P Lisa Barbato
415.553.4470
x 238
lbarbato@seiu-uhweduc.org2/25/2008 HazMat Kaiser South Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P 3/24/2008 HazMat Kaiser Roseville 8:00A 4:30P 3/24/2008 HazMat CHW Mercy Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P 4/21/2008 HazMat Kaiser Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P 5/9/2008 HazMat Kaiser San Jose/Santa Clara 8:00A 4:30P 5/28/2008 HazMat Kaiser South Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P 6/23/2008 HazMat Kaiser Roseville 8:00A 4:30P 7/21/2008 HazMat Kaiser Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P 8/22/2008 HazMat Kaiser San Jose/Santa Clara 8:00A 4:30P 8/25/2008 HazMat Kaiser South Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P 9/10/2008 HazMat CHW Mercy Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P 9/26/2008 HazMat Kaiser Roseville 8:00A 4:30P 10/24/2008 HazMat Kaiser Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P 11/14/2008 HazMat Kaiser San Jose/Santa Clara 8:00A 4:30P 11/26/2008 HazMat Kaiser Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P 12/17/2008 HazMat CHW Mercy Sacramento 8:00A 4:30P
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Date Class Title Location Start Time End Time To Register
Phone or Email2/14/2008 HazMat Kaiser LAMC 8:30A 5:00P Erika Moody-Gillard
323.767.2621
egillard@seiu-uhweduc.org3/20/2008 HazMat Kaiser Bellflower 8:30A 5:00P 4/15/2008 HazMat Kaiser Panorama City 8:30A 5:00P 5/29/2008 HazMat Kaiser Bellflower 8:30A 5:00P 6/17/2008 HazMat Kaiser Panorama City 8:30A 5:00P 7/8/2008 HazMat Kaiser Orange County 8:30A 5:00P 7/31/2008 HazMat Kaiser Bellflower 8:30A 5:00P 9/27/2008 HazMat Kaiser Bellflower 8:30A 5:00P 11/13/2008 HazMat Kaiser Bellflower 8:30A 5:00P
