A uniquely designed labor management partnership, the Training Fund broke new ground at its founding with a commitment to serve both union members and the community – a commitment it has honored and grown over the last four decades, serving more than 100,000 Delaware Valley students.
Today, the Training Fund serves over 4,000 students annually at the 35,000-square foot Breslin Learning Center in Center City Philadelphia. The Training Fund’s student-centered approach to education and training incorporates individualized career coaching and case management to help individuals obtain the educational credentials and professional certifications they will need to achieve their academic and career goals. Uniquely, all Fund training programs are designed on an integrated educational model that advances students towards their academic and career goals simultaneously, incorporating contextualized workforce preparation into academic courses and literacy supports into occupational courses.
Our Mission
The District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund’s mission is: (1) providing access to career pathways in healthcare and human services for incumbent workers and job seekers through education, training and work-based learning; and, (2) building the capacity of the Delaware Valley’s healthcare industry to create a highly-skilled workforce through on-the-job training opportunities and the development of an education pipeline that aligns with career ladder steps.
Our Guiding Principles
Dual Accountability
Since co-signing the trust agreement, which first established the Training Fund, workers and employers have served together on the Board of Trustees, ensuring the Fund’s activities meet both worker and employer needs.
Lifelong Learning
The Training Fund has always provided support, service, and encouragement to students of every age and educational background, recognizing that whoever you are and wherever you are on your educational and career journey, lifelong learning is essential.
Building Career Pathways
With abundant opportunities for low, middle, and highly skilled workers, no healthcare job should ever be a “dead end.” The Training Fund works with every one of its students to create practical pathways for career opportunity and advancement.
Work-Based Education
Education does not take place in a vacuum. The Training Fund has conceptualized, developed, and applied an integrated training model that embeds real healthcare workforce competencies into classroom instruction, linking every class and program it offers to real healthcare jobs and career pathways.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We are dedicated to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. We welcome every person’s unique perspective and experience that advances our mission and develops an environment with conditions that provide everyone with an equal opportunity to thrive.