Partnership with a Labor Union and Community Colleges that is Helping Healthcare Workers Climb Career Ladders

WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility partnered the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and the United Healthcare Workers Joint Employer Education Fund to co-design a regional approach to flexible healthcare programs, alignment of clinical placements, and resource sharing. Together, we are creating a sustainable and responsive regional healthcare workforce ecosystem that expands workers’ advancement and strengthens college and employer pipelines.

The Challenge:

Nearly every community is in need of more healthcare professionals. Community colleges are helping to meet labor market demand by offering short-term credentials that allow workers to get started in a lower-level position and then stack other credentials over time to attain better wages. However, many workers never move up the career ladder after they attain their first position. They face a variety of challenges including lack of clarity about training and career options, paying living costs while they are in training programs, class schedules that don’t align with work hours, getting access to clinical placements that are required for credentials, and insufficient support to find better jobs.

How We’re Taking Action:

Across regions in California, the Center for Economic Mobility is helping colleges and employers design practical, worker-centered solutions that close healthcare workforce gaps and expand economic opportunity for working adults. Together, we’re creating advancement pathways that offer:

  • Fully covered program costs and tuition support.
  • Academic credit for prior learning and clear information about next-level job requirements.
  • Flexible schedules and hybrid formats so adults can learn while working.
  • Employer-sponsored clinical placements and externships that expand training capacity.
  • Tailored support for childcare, transportation, and wage replacement.
  • Social-emotional and work-readiness skills alongside technical training.
  • Instruction led by seasoned union members and industry experts.

Because this partnership connects worker advancement with employer demand, it generates a tangible return on investment for all partners:

  • Colleges gain enrollment growth, improved completion rates, and stronger employer relationships.
  • Employers report up to 50% reductions in turnover and shorter vacancy timelines.
  • Workers achieve average wage gains exceeding 40% as they move into higher-demand, higher-wage roles.

Beginning in the LA, East Bay and Sacramento regions, the Center is facilitating multi-college and multi-employer consortia that share data, align curricula, and plan jointly for long-term success. The result is a scalable, equitable training ecosystem that reflects California’s diversity and strengthens the state’s healthcare infrastructure—ensuring that workers, employers, and colleges thrive together.

At the Education Fund, we are grateful for the insight and leadership from the Center. They bring a learner-centered focus to engagement with employers and colleges. As a result, we are co-designing impactful programs for working adults that help them use education to advance their careers, resulting in higher wages and programs tailored to industry needs.

Rebecca Hanson Executive Director, SEIU UHW-West & Joint Employer Education Fund

What Makes Us Different

  • Partnerships centered on the needs of workers. We began with data from over 18,000 East Bay United Healthcare Workers—mapping their skills, wage trajectories, and advancement barriers—to design education and training pathways that reflect real worker goals and lead to lasting wage mobility.
  • Opportunities for colleges to better understand employer needs. Through structured design sessions, we brought together employers, college leaders, and union representatives to identify pain points and co-create solutions in real time—building trust, alignment, and momentum for joint action.
  • A data-driven return on investment and sustained partnership model. By tracking measurable outcomes—wage gains for workers, reduced vacancies for employers, and enrollment and funding stability for colleges—we demonstrate shared value and accountability. Leveraging our deep experience and long-standing relationships with community colleges statewide, we help partners accelerate implementation and build their own capacity to sustain these partnerships well beyond the initial project term.