It was an exciting year for 1199 SEIU’s Maryland/DC Training and Upgrading Fund (TUF). The Fund grew in 2012 to include 30 institutions, representing 33 contracts and covering 5,200 members in the region.More members utilized the Training and Upgrading Fund than ever before with:• 165 new enrollees in 2012 in TUF classes;• More than 400 members attended educational and career counseling fairs either in their workplace or at the TUF’s Learning Center; and• 70 first-time applicants sought Tuition Assistance and Continuing Education benefits through the Fund in the last six months of 2012 alone.TUF staff was also hard at work preparing to launch a new office to better serve our Washington-area membership. The new location in Prince George’s County, Maryland is set to open in January 2013 and will include classrooms for adult education and a computer lab.Highlights of the year included a Recognition Ceremony that brought graduates and enrollees of the Fund together with union leaders and Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, who praised TUF participants for their hard work and passion for learning.The TUF also launched a new unit coordinator certification program to help existing members employed as unit clerks get the skills they need to upgrade to unit coordinators.The TUF looks forward to continuing to expand educational services for members of 1199SEIU in the area. Next year, the TUF will continue to partner with employers to address the training needs of our membership as federal healthcare reform goes into effect and changes in Health Information Management are implemented.- See more at: http://www.1199seiu.org/maryland_dc_training_upgrading_fund_changing_lives_improving_healthcare_in_2012#sthash.jwOk99D9.dpuf