New training can lead to higher-paying jobs
By Diane E. Lewis, Globe Staff, 10/5/03
The economy is sluggish and layoffs are a fact of life, but Tina Forsyth of Agawam isn't too worried.
Over the last 18 months, the 34-year-old single mother of three has doubled her salary by successfully completing a training program that allowed her to move out of a job as a $10-an-hour certified nurses' assistant at Heritage Hall East, a long-term care facility in Agawam, into a position as a licensed practical nurse there.
''I have a lot more responsibility,'' she said. ''But I also have so many more opportunities.''
Forsyth is the beneficiary of a partnership between her employer, Genesis Elder Care, and Holyoke Community College and WorkSource Partners Inc., a Boston work force development company.
Together, the three developed a step-by-step career ladder that gives certified nurses' aides a chance to attend classes at work that can lead to a higher-paying job. The cost of classes is paid for by Genesis Elder Care through its tuition reimbursement program. The company also has received $360,000 from the state over the past two years to help it launch its career ladder and training courses.
The training program is also among 21 initiatives around the country selected this year for expansion by a Boston nonprofit and two national employer groups, which have been awarded a $5.5 million federal grant from the US Department of Labor to help companies increase low-income workers' skills.
The national initiative, called Workforce Innovation Network or Wins, is a partnership between Boston-based Jobs for the Future, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the US Chamber of Commerce. The network will use the grant to provide career ladder programs to some 10,000 low-wage workers around the country in healthcare, construction, and manufacturing, including 2,500 in Massachusetts.
Jerry Rubin, vice president of Jobs for the Future, a research and consulting organization that focuses on work force development, said the network is hoping its efforts will encourage employers across the country to team up with public and private institutions to develop similar training efforts.
Oftentimes, he said, companies devote a considerable amount of money to upgrading the skills of managers and professionals, not realizing that frontline workers are an important resource.
''We are doing this for two reasons,'' said Rubin. ''First, American businesses must develop the skills of their work force as much as possible to be competitive. Second, too many US employees are working full time but are not making enough to support their families. So, our goal is to boost workers' skills and wages so that they will remain on the job and compete more effectively.''
WorkSource Partners, which helped Genesis Elder Care and Holyoke Community College develop onsite classes at Heritage Hall East, will receive $67,000 from the Labor Department grant to help expand the nurses' aide training program and career ladder to other sites, said Neil Silverston, president of WorkSource Partners.
''The money is to help us figure out how to expand the program not just across Genesis Elder Care, but across the nursing home industry,'' said Silverston. ''The hope is that, over time, we will continue to develop more public-private partnerships. We feel we can help companies get better retention and find more sources of labor. So, we are trying to build bridges to college for people.''
Silverston said WorkSource Partners, which started in 1995 as a nonprofit training program for welfare recipients, changed its focus a few years ago because workers were having difficulty supporting themselves on hourly wages of $9, $10, and $11 per hour. In Boston, where housing costs have risen sharply, a family of four needs at least $42,564 a year to live without some sort of financial aid, according to the Massachusetts Family Economic Self-Sufficiency project.
At the same time, many workers lacked the advanced skills needed to secure jobs with more job security and higher wages. A report by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth has found that about 1.1 million Massachusetts residents - one in three - lack the basic skills they need to thrive in a competitive global economy.
Forsyth knows all about job loss. Four years ago, she lost a factory job at an envelope manufacturing company when it closed. Soon after, she landed a position at a company that made coated paper for the film industry. Forsyth cut the paper to meet clients' specifications. When that company went out of business a year later, Forsyth applied for work as a nurses' aide at a nursing home in Westfield. She said a training program at that facility helped her become certified.
Two years ago, Forsyth joined the staff at Heritage Hall East as a certified nurses' assistant. When she learned that training was available, Forsyth applied.
''First, I took classes to help with math and English,'' said Forsyth, who took those classes at her workplace. ''Then, I applied to get into the program. ''But I still needed human growth and biology. So, I took them at the community college over the summer. For me, the training was convenient.''
She said the company allowed her to change her schedule to work earlier or later.
In June, Forsyth graduated from the licensed practical nursing program at Holyoke Community College. She passed her state board examination in August and is now thinking about taking additional courses.
''I want to become a registered nurse,'' she said. ''That would open up even more doors for me. It's a job that I could have forlife.''
Forsyth isn't alone. Genesis Elder Care employs 600 people at five facilities at its Agawam campus. Of those, 146 have expressed interest in becoming a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse, said Ira Schoenberger, senior administrator at Heritage Hall East. More than 80 are currently taking classes, including five from Heritage Hall East.
The courses offered at Heritage Hall East range from adult basic education to college level courses like sociology and human development. In January, Genesis Elder Care will launch a campus-wide training program in collaboration with Holyoke Community College that will offer evening courses for 10 employees who want to be licensed practical nurses.
Applicants for the program will be selected by the community college. Admission will depend on the individual's level of education and the amount of coursework he or she has already completed, said Schoenberger.
''The idea is to help our employees' career mobility,'' he said. ''We also want to increase loyalty and retention and, ultimately, improve the quality of our care.''
Diane E. Lewis can be reached at dlewis@globe.com.
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