Those looking beyond the holiday hustle and bustle for expanded career opportunities can look to the Pima Council on Aging CareGiver Training Institute (CTGI).
The nonprofit CTGI has been named the beneficiary of a $50,000 grant from the Tucson Medical Center Foundation, with funds earmarked for student tuition assistance in an effort to increase the number of direct care workers such as certified nursing assistants, caregivers, dual certification, assisted living managers and others.
CTGI classes are open to adults 18 years of age and older; to receive grant funds, prospective students must enroll by Dec. 31 and plan to start classes in January 2024. For more information, visit CGTIAZ.org.
“This grant from the TMC Foundation allows us to offer substantial tuition discounts of up to 70% for enrollment in our CGTI career pathways. This opens doors for more individuals to pursue meaningful healthcare careers,” said Rebekah McGee, Senior Vice President for Business Development and Strategy at PCOA.
McGee said that the reduced tuition will remove barriers for low-income and under-employed community members, allowing them to embark on new career pathways while simultaneously addressing the healthcare workforce shortage faced by the aging U.S. population.
“We are aware of the jaw-dropping statistic that 10,000 individuals are turning 65 in America every day. That will continue through 2030 and then level off, which means we are looking at a much older population across the United States and globally. The public is becoming more and more conscious of this and PCOA is constantly looking for ways to be helpful to the people we serve every day,” said Adina Wingate, marketing and public relations specialist for PCOA.
Attracting healthcare workers with comprehensive professional training and mitigating turnover are important parts of the solution, according to McGee.
“PCOA’s waiting list of more than 300 older adults in need of in-home care underscores the urgency of addressing the healthcare workforce shortage,” McGee said.
Long-standing collaborations between PCOA and partners such as the Arizona Healthcare Association and TMC Foundation are critical to optimizing quality across the lifespan for seniors in Pima County, according to W. Mark Clark, President & CEO at PCOA.
“At PCOA, we deeply appreciate the TMC Foundation’s commitment to community philanthropy. This generous grant underscores their support for innovative educational endeavors like our CareGiver Training Institute and for fostering healthcare education advancements across our community,” Clark said.
