How can wraparound coaching support the learner — and the organization?

New case study shows how a long-term partnership addresses critical job gaps and empowers a diverse health care workforce

Looking to address the ever-growing demand for specialized health care workers, the Education Fund – a multi-employer labor management training fund – wanted to expand their opportunities for career advancement and develop a diverse talent pipeline. But they needed a partner to help support the program’s growth.

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Working to improve the health care workforce

Funded by collectively bargained employer contributions to provide education and training benefits to more than 100,000 eligible health care workers across six western states, the Education Fund provides education, training and career advice services for eligible union members, at no cost. Ultimately, they aim to improve the learner experience and help employees advance their careers in a changing health care environment. As they scaled quickly to meet learner needs, the Education Fund looked to partner with an organization who could help them ensure successful outcomes, guidance and support throughout the educational journey. Which is why the Education Fund turned to InsideTrack.

With a shared goal of equitable social mobility, InsideTrack first implemented a holistic coaching program to support learners along their allied health care pathways. We then worked with the Education Fund to train and develop their staff and leadership, guiding them through organizational change practices in order to help them achieve their strategic aspirations.

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Better results through partnership

When the pandemic added to the stress on health care workers in 2020, the Education Fund’s mission was more critical than ever. To better support learners, direct coaching became a crucial component of their journey. Once an eligible union member enrolled in a covered program, they received one-on-one, personalized coaching support from a specially trained InsideTrack coach. The coach’s role was to help the learner stay on their path to completion and licensure, with the goal of upward mobility into a more skilled, higher paying health care role.

InsideTrack also customized a consulting and training program to help guide the Education Fund through the transformational change required to reach their organization-wide goals – a big undertaking for an organization self-described as “change resistant.” Consulting efforts involved communication plans, change management, key performance indicators, and accountability for managing the build-out of specific career pathways. InsideTrack also led department-specific training for career counselors, managers, business development staff and organizational leadership — all designed to support infrastructure and execution.

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Measurable impact for the win-win-win-win

During the first three years of the partnership, the Education Fund achieved many accomplishments relating to the goals they outlined, to the benefit of learners and the organization alike. Take the case of the Medical Assistant (MA) pathway, for example. Launched in September of 2020 with InsideTrack’s help, more than 2,050 learners in this much-needed program have received one-on-one coaching.

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• 88% contact rate
• 1,968 applied for the MA pathway
• 698 enrolled — exceeding 2021 goals by 140%
• 81% completed a certificate in 2020-2021

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The benefits from this powerful partnership ripple out exponentially. An ever-increasing number of learners win by getting the education and support they need to move up the healthcare career ladder. Employers win by retaining a steady pipeline of skilled, qualified workers to fill critical job roles. It’s a win for the community, benefitting from top-quality healthcare delivered by a diverse workforce expertly trained to serve diverse communities. And the Education Fund itself is winning, having grown stronger and better able to meet the increased healthcare demands nationwide during this unprecedented time of need. It’s the ultimate win-win-win-win!