RISE Partnership has been awarded a $2 million Workforce Ready Grant as part of Future Ready Oregon, a $200 million initiative passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2022. Administered by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), this transformative grant will expand RISE’s innovative Nursing Career Pathway Program to address the state’s need for a well-trained and stable long-term care workforce.
The program will build on existing education and training efforts to help Oregonians enter the direct care workforce, while also supporting their career development through a worker-centered approach.
“RISE’s Nursing Career Pathway Program is the first of its kind in the nation,” said Brian Rüdiger, RISE Partnership’s Executive Director. “By offering free training, tuition support, financial stipends, career coaching, and job placement, we aim to remove the barriers that prevent workers from entering the nursing home sector.”
Focused on homecare workers transitioning into long-term care nursing roles, the program will serve residents in Clackamas, Hood River, Multnomah, Polk, Umatilla, Washington, and Yamhill counties.
The program will roll out in three phases: recruiting and training homecare workers, developing them into Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), and then advancing CNAs into Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). This comprehensive approach will not only strengthen the pipeline of qualified workers but also improve the economic conditions of those caring for Oregon’s most vulnerable populations.
“Innovative programs like this are essential to addressing Oregon’s nursing shortage while creating meaningful career pathways for underserved and marginalized workers,” said Rüdiger. “RISE Partnership is proud to be among the 62 diverse projects supported by the latest round of Workforce Ready Grant funding.”