Graduation for Home Health Aides Set for July 7 at STCC

SPRINGFIELD — A graduation ceremony is scheduled for 18 home health aides (HHAs) and personal-care attendants (PCAs) who underwent training through the Training & Workforce Options (TWO) program, a collaboration between Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and Holyoke Community College.

The 18 graduates will join a large gathering of family, friends, instructors, and dignitaries on Friday, July 7, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Scibelli Hall (Building 2), seventh floor, at STCC.

The workforce training was supported by a 2016 grant from the state Department of Higher Education’s Training Resources and Internship Networks (TRAIN) Program. The July 2017 class represents the fourth and final cohort of TRAIN home-health-aide graduates.

The training prepared participants for internships and job placements as HHAs and PCAs. All participants received OSHA-10 certifications, National Career Readiness Certificate preparation and testing, and first aid and CPR certification. They also received career-pathway advising about the healthcare industry, especially how an entry-level position such as HHA/PCA can lead to job and wage advancement.

TWO has graduated 32 participants (representing 84{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of those enrolled) and has placed 26 in jobs (81{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of graduates) from its first three cohorts.