Lake Washington Technical College recently received a grant worth $281,633 to help meet the growing demand for more well-trained healthcare workers in Washington.

The school was one of five community and technical colleges to receive Hospital Employee Education and Training (HEET) grants from the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges (SBCTC).

The 2008 Legislature designated $1.5 million to SBCTC for labor, management and college partnerships to fund innovative training programs for careers in nursing and other high-demand health care fields for current hospital workers.

The grant money for Lake Washington Tech is intended for increasing nursing student capacity and pay for more clinical rotations at participating hospitals.

In partnership with SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and the Health Work Force Institute (an affiliate of the Washington State Hospital Association,) SBCTC devised the HEET grant process, inviting proposals from the state’s 34 community and technical colleges.

“The funding of these projects is a win for our hospitals because staffing shortages continue to increase in Washington state,” said SEIU Healthcare 1199NW President Diane Sosne, RN. “Providing funds to train these employees to move into high vacancy positions will benefit patient care, provide the personnel that our hospitals need, and provide career mobility for our members.”

Lake Washington Technical College recently received a grant worth $281,633 to help meet the growing demand for more well-trained healthcare workers in Washington.

The school was one of five community and technical colleges to receive Hospital Employee Education and Training (HEET) grants from the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges (SBCTC).

The 2008 Legislature designated $1.5 million to SBCTC for labor, management and college partnerships to fund innovative training programs for careers in nursing and other high-demand health care fields for current hospital workers.

The grant money for Lake Washington Tech is intended for increasing nursing student capacity and pay for more clinical rotations at participating hospitals.

In partnership with SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and the Health Work Force Institute (an affiliate of the Washington State Hospital Association,) SBCTC devised the HEET grant process, inviting proposals from the state’s 34 community and technical colleges.

“The funding of these projects is a win for our hospitals because staffing shortages continue to increase in Washington state,” said SEIU Healthcare 1199NW President Diane Sosne, RN. “Providing funds to train these employees to move into high vacancy positions will benefit patient care, provide the personnel that our hospitals need, and provide career mobility for our members.”