Company
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Labor-Management Training Funds in California in which long term and home healthcare companies (e.g. California Long-Term Care Education Center (CLTCEC)) and facilities service companies (e.g. Building Skills Partnership (BSP)) host workplace classes and contribute significant financial contributions to their efforts. Employers are often Fortune 500 companies (e.g. American Building Service (ABM)), who provide large contributions.
Upskilling program name
MOBILE UP (a program of the SEIU Training Funds)
Program goal(s)
Program aims to accelerate education and career advancement for service workers and accelerate learning through anytime, anywhere instruction over any mobile phone, a device almost all workers own.
Who provides the program services (in-house, outside provider, etc.)?
In-house staff with BSP and CLTCEC and outside providers.
If outside providers, please list key partners.
See: http://digitalpromise.org/2017/03/06/can-workers-learn-basic-skills-phones/
Who is the program is designed to assist?
Low-income, primarily immigrant incumbent service workers in building and facility services as well as long term and home care.
Who is eligible for the program?
Home care workers, environmental service workers, nutrition and other support staff.
How is the program funded (i.e., company/participant share; prepaid by company vs. individual reimbursement; etc.)?
Employers contribute monthly to a Taft-Hartley training fund.
Is there an annual or lifetime cap on the program benefits?
No
Do employees get paid time off to participate or are they in any way compensated for their participation?
Depending on the branch, workers may receive time off or other incentive.
What is your participation goal, and what actions are you taking to reach that goal?
Upskill hundreds of frontline workers by providing basic skills education opportunities – with hopes of helping them advance in their careers and lives and live coaching to provide career coaching and counseling to make workers aware of training opportunities or career paths, or new jobs they can take to advance in their careers.
What, if any, supports do you have in place to ensure participants complete the program?
The program is one in high demand by workers themselves and offers coaching and case management and is free to access.
What data are you collecting/tracking?
Cell-Ed’s comprehensive data dashboard tracks all worker interactions (e.g. time spend studying, progress, learning gains, completion rates) and live coach reporting tracks impact metrics (eg. promotions, new jobs secured, etc.).
How do you measure or plan to measure the benefits the program brings to the company?
Close tracking of student learning through the Cell-Ed Learning Management System (LMS). In the case of CLTCEC, close tracking of increase in compliance in SOP’s after training.
What results have you seen to date?
English as a Second Language learning and confidence gains. More specific vocational training and career coaching are the next steps of learning and analysis.
In hindsight, what is the best decision you made in setting up this program?
Selecting a mobile learning LMS provider (e.g. Cell-Ed) that is flexible and responsive to our requests for customization to meet the needs of workers.
What, if any, changes have you made in the program since its introduction? Why were these changes made?
Enhanced customization became a requirement for success.
What advice would you give those considering a similar project?
Start first with an assessment/survey process to evaluate the needs and interests of workers then design a program to match. Human-Centered Design is key to meeting the needs of workers.
