SEIU: Empowering Care Workers Through Continuing Education
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) offers a robust suite of continuing education programs designed to empower care workers, enhance their skills, and ultimately improve the quality of care they provide. These programs are crucial for professional development, ensuring workers stay up-to-date with best practices, and meeting regulatory requirements. The SEIU's commitment to education is reflected in its diverse offerings, accessibility, and dedication to addressing inequities within the healthcare and child care systems.
SEIU Local No. 1 Training Fund
The SEIU Local No. 1 Training Center, situated at 120 S. Sangamon in Chicago's West Loop, exemplifies this commitment. To register for continuing education classes, calling (312) 226-1444 is the best way.
Commitment to Non-Discrimination
The SEIU Local No. 1 Training Fund is dedicated to providing equal opportunities. The SEIU Local No. 1 Training Fund will not discriminate against apprenticeship applicants or apprentices based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), sexual orientation, genetic information, or because they are an individual with a disability or a person 40 years old or older.
SEIU METC: A Premier Education Center
The SEIU Member Education and Training Center (METC) stands out as a leading resource for care worker education. The SEIU METC is the premier member education and training center for care workers. It focuses on delivering high-quality training to enable care workers to provide exceptional care. The METC's impact is significant, with 35,000 workers trained annually.
Accessibility and Flexibility
Understanding the diverse needs of care workers, METC offers classes both online and in-person. Classes are offered 7 days per week providing flexibility for providers and workers as well as multilingual options. This hybrid approach ensures accessibility for individuals with varying schedules and learning preferences. Furthermore, a substantial portion of the training is offered in Spanish or dual languages (60%), catering to the linguistic diversity of the workforce.
Read also: A Guide to SEIU Tuition Benefits
Focus on Skill Enhancement and Community
METC is dedicated to sharpening your skills, connecting you to community, and impacting inequities in healthcare and child care systems. METC is dedicated to sharpening your skills, connecting you to community, and impacting inequities in healthcare and child care systems. This holistic approach not only enhances professional capabilities but also fosters a sense of community and addresses systemic issues.
Featured METC Training Programs
METC offers a variety of training, both online and in-person, covering a wide range of topics, all at no cost to the care worker.
Home Care: Bathing & Bedmaking
This training focuses on the safest and most efficient techniques for assisting consumers with personal hygiene. Work with the safest and most efficient techniques that protect a consumer's dignity while making an occupied bed, bathing, and helping with grooming and personal hygiene. It prioritizes the consumer's dignity while ensuring the safety and well-being of both the care worker and the individual receiving care.
Child Care: Yoga & Mindfulness for Children
Recognizing the importance of mental and physical well-being, this program introduces yoga and mindfulness practices for children. Yoga & Mindfulness is a healthy coping tool to help children and staff release stress, promote physical activity, and help children focus on the present moment. It equips care workers with tools to help children manage stress, promote physical activity, and improve focus.
Community Training Initiative
Acknowledging the broader community's needs, METC is launching a Community Training Initiative. based on the growing opportunity to meet various community training needs. The initiative is designed to meet various community training needs. Check back for updates!
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The Education Fund: Investing in Member Growth
The Education Fund serves as a vital resource for eligible union members, offering education, training, and career advice services. The Ed Fund is an employer-paid benefit funded by collectively bargained employer contributions to provide education programs and services. Support from the Ed Fund is in high demand and programs are offered as available. It is funded through employer contributions secured through collective bargaining, highlighting the union's commitment to member development.
Accessing Reimbursement for Continuing Education
The Ed Fund enables members to get reimbursed for Continuing Education. Growing your knowledge, learning new skills, and fulfilling your state-required Continuing Education classes is important for your success as a Home Care Aide. Contacting career counselors is the first step to understand how to leverage the Education Fund for professional growth.
Flexible Learning Options
Catering to diverse learning preferences, the Education Fund offers both in-person and online classes. If you prefer an in-person experience, we offer instructor-led classes. We also provide multiple online classes to allow you the flexibility to take your Continuing Education courses when it is best for your schedule.
Navigating Online Classes
The Education Fund provides guidance on accessing and navigating online classes. A box will appear and ask “Register for eLearning. Click on “View Now” when you are ready to take the class. The class takes a few moments to load on the screen. Please be aware that classes may “time out” if your computer remains inactive; you may need to start the class again from the beginning. Keep this in mind if you need to take a break during the class. They also provide “How-To” video collection on how to register for CE courses, and how to select a CE course.
Recommended Training
The learning portal offers personalized training recommendations. Your “Recommended Training” options will appear. These classes are recommended to you based on your training preferences. When you find a training class you wish to take, click “Register” and then click “Register” again.
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Continuing Education Requirements for Homecare Workers
Starting March 31, 2026 all homecare workers, personal support workers, and personal care attendants will need to complete 12 hours of continuing education to renew your provider number. This requirement underscores the importance of ongoing professional development in the field.
Purpose of Continuing Education
Continuing education helps keep you up to date on the best practices for your work. It helps you continue to build on the skills you develop over time in your career. It ensures that care workers remain informed about the latest best practices and continue to refine their skills.
Hours and Renewal
You will need to take 12 hours of continuing education every 2 years to recertify as a homecare or personal support worker or personal care attendant. The requirement consists of 12 hours of continuing education every 2 years. Continuing education includes 4 hours of required training alongside 8 hours of elective training. This includes 4 hours of required training and 8 hours of elective courses, offering flexibility in tailoring education to individual needs. There are several options for elective courses to complete the remaining 8 hours of continuing education.
Due Dates
The due date to complete continuing education matches the expiration date of your background check. Homecare workers and personal care attendants can see this date on their remittance advices when they get paid. Personal support workers can see this date in eXPRS.
Continuing Education Hours
You must take a total of 12 hours of continuing education every 2 years. You don’t need to take more than 12 hours every 2 years even if you work as more than one provider type. Each credit is the same as 1 hour of course time. So if a course is listed as 1.5 hours, that means you will receive 1.5 credits.
Course Descriptions
You can read more about each course by clicking on it in the learning portal.
Exemption
If you have an active certification through the state and plan to keep it active, you are exempt from the continuing education requirement.
Certificate Validity
The continuing education requirement doesn’t go into effect until March 31, 2026.
Offline Training
Continuing education is available as an offline version in English only. We don’t currently have offline versions of the training available in other languages. If you need internet or computer access, we recommend going to a library or WorkSource center to complete the training.
Stipends for Training
Yes. You will be given a stipend in an amount equivalent to your classification’s step 3 rate of pay for 12 hours of coursework, rounded up to the nearest full dollar amount.
Unclaimed Property
Our records show that we sent you a stipend payment, but it hasn’t been claimed. When a check hasn’t been cashed after a certain period of time, it becomes an unclaimed, or “stale” check.
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