How members can retrain with the Career Pathways Training Program to further their careers and address skills shortages.

Recognizing the skills shortages that have opened up across the healthcare sector, particularly since the pandemic, 1199SEIU identified the golden opportunity presented by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s allocation of $646 million towards Workforce Investment Organizations.

This funding is helping to pay for the Career Pathways Training (CPT) program being implemented by the 1199SEIU Training and Employment Fund over the next three years.

The CPT Program enables members to further their education, advance their career and make a meaningful impact in their community—all at no cost to them. The program provides financial assistance, covering the cost of tuition, books, training, and administrative fees. It also provides resources and supportive services, including tutoring, test preparation, and career counseling—and helps to give participants paid release time and job placement assistance. The aim is to help rebuild and strengthen the healthcare industry with a more skilled workforce, while also addressing workforce shortages by supporting recruitment and job placement for healthcare workers.

Current cohort member Idongesit Ekong, a Psychiatric RN at St. John’s Hospital in Far Rockaway, Queens, is already seeing the benefits of the CPT program while enrolled at Adelphi University where she’s studying to become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.

“I’m [just finishing] the semester and so far, so good,” she says. “This opportunity is amazing that you can have your tuition and books paid one hundred percent. It’s like free education – why not do this?” I’m continuing what I’m already doing and what I’m familiar with. I went to Adelphi [for my undergrad degree] so it’s been easier moving around campus and feels good to be back.”

The CPT program offers an array of eligible positions within the healthcare industry, including Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Certified Pharmacy Tech (ChPT), Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), Registered Nurse (AAS, BSN, RN to BSN), Respiratory Therapist (RT), Nurse Practitioner (NP), Physician Assistant (PA), Master of Social Work (MSW) and Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).

“This is such an exciting opportunity to transform healthcare in the State of New York,” Governor Hochul said when announcing funding for the program. “The challenge is this—we just need more health care workers—full stop.”

Participants in the CPT program must complete their study in three years and commit to three years of service payback with a provider that has a client population that is at least 30 percent Medicaid-reliant or uninsured. This population hits close to home for Ekong.

“I deeply care about the vulnerable population that I serve,” she says. “I’ve worked in psychiatry and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities my entire nursing career.”

Ekong encourages others to also take advantage of the CPT program, saying: “It takes away the financial burden of paying for graduate school. As an 1199 member, this also gives me benefits and job security—it feels like a win-win!”

Adriana Arbelaez, who is currently working as a part-time Shift Supervisor at a Rite Aid store in Long Island, agrees: “I went to the Union presentation, and it was very informative. My work schedule is unpredictable, so I’m hoping to start with an online program.” Arbelaez lost her full-time Rite Aid position after 25 years with the company, when her previous store closed.

Following the CPT presentation, she identified a Pharmacy Technician course at the College of Staten Island. She hopes she can move forward with this in January because she recognizes: “There are more job opportunities for Pharmacy Technicians both at Rite Aid and in the hospitals.”