Education and job skills training partnership helps meet demand for health care workers in array of California health care settings
Sacramento, CA, January 29, 2026, – Calbright College, an online community college in California dedicated to boosting economic mobility and access to skills-based education and job training for California working-age adults, today announced a new partnership with Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), a healthcare justice union of more than 120,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare consumers, and AlliedUP, a healthcare staffing cooperative.
Together, they are launching a Community Health Worker program that accelerates economic mobility for historically underserved Californians through increased placement and retention in high-quality jobs in the Community Health Worker field and a framework for how post-secondary institutions can more effectively support adult learners on a path towards meaningful work.
“This partnership with SEIU-UHW and AlliedUP Co-op reflects our commitment to meeting students where they are and removing barriers to career advancement in the health care industry,” said Ajita Talwalker Menon, President and CEO at Calbright College. “By combining paid work experience with skills-based training, we’re creating a model that helps more Californians – especially those historically excluded from health care advancement opportunities – build meaningful, long-term careers in health care.”
“California’s healthcare system depends on workers who are deeply connected to the communities they serve,” said Dave Regan, President of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. “This effort is about more than training, it’s about opening doors to careers in healthcare for people who are ready to serve their communities and deserve real opportunities to thrive. By partnering with Calbright College and AlliedUP, we’re creating pathways into good, union jobs for people who might otherwise be left out.”
“Supporting more Californians to not only train for and secure a job but also succeed on their career journeys is critical to building the workforce of healthcare professionals our communities need,” said Milissa Ales-Barnicoat, CEO of AlliedUP. ”By committing fully to the growth of California adult learners with good training and strong workplace support, we create confident workers, stronger teams, and better outcomes for patients. “
Participants in the Community Health Worker program will gain a certificate through Calbright, and receive placement and coaching support and hands-on, work experience. Many working-age Californians face barriers to education and paid-employment experiences across industries when reskilling or pivoting careers.
A Community Health Worker – often referred to as a CHW – is a frontline public health professional who serves as a trusted member of the communities they work in, promoting health services, providing linguistic services, and centering social well-being across California communities. CHWs have long provided critical preventive, promotive, and referral services for communities in California that have been historically blocked and disconnected from the health system.
Community Health Workers are employed by public health departments, healthcare providers, and social service agencies. In California, the demand for Community Health Workers is rapidly growing. Between 2020 and 2024, Community Health Workers jobs increased by 25% – significantly outpacing the national growth rate of 3.2%, according to analysis by Lightcast, a global labor market labor analytics firm. Job growth is projected to continue, with a 19.8% increase expected by 2032 and nearly 10,000 CHW positions posted in the past year alone according to the 2022-2023 Occupational Employment Projections Report by the Employment Development Department (EDD).
To support the success of the CHW program, SEIU-UHW and AlliedUP Co-op are leveraging their unique strengths to support students every step of the way. SEIU-UHW is supporting the recruitment of candidates, helping them meet enrollment criteria, and providing critical support throughout the program to address barriers to participation. AlliedUP, a healthcare staffing cooperative, will provide training and coaching through their Employee Success Program, coordinate logistics and employer partnerships, manage student wages and benefits, and oversee job placement and mentorship.
The addition of the CHW program further expands Calbright College’s offerings in health care and meets both demands by health care employers for skilled professionals to fill critical jobs in the health ecosystem as well as helping more Californians gain the skills and certifications needed to access careers in the health services sector. Last year, Calbright launched an updated Medical Coding certificate program limited to students in Los Angeles County to help adult learners gain technical skills such as turning healthcare information into universal codes that are used to document and bill for medical services and review health records for appropriate coding.
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About Calbright
Calbright College is a new kind of community college designed to support the education, job skills, and career needs and goals of adult learners. Established in 2018, Calbright is a statewide, online, and flexible California Community College that offers accessible and career-focused programs — based on in-demand skills from IT to Project Management to Data Analysis. Calbright’s free and flexibly paced model, which utilizes competency-based education, adapts to the schedules of California’s working-age adults to provide the rigor of higher education without the logistical hurdles of a traditional institution.
About SEIU-UHW
Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 120,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare consumers united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers.
About AlliedUP Co-op
AlliedUP Co-op is a healthcare staffing cooperative that connects healthcare workers and providers to create equitable, sustainable workforce solutions. As a mission-driven, worker-owned organization, AlliedUP supports healthcare workers through personalized coaching, mentorship, and career development—ensuring they are prepared, supported, and positioned for long-term career success. For healthcare providers, AlliedUP offers a values-aligned staffing approach through its comprehensive Employee Success Program—focused on reliability, retention, and better outcomes for patients and communities.
Media Contacts:
Sarah Jimenez, Calbright College
sarah.jimenez@calbright.org
Renée Saldaña, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West
rsaldana@seiu-uhw.org
Jonathan Jungwirth, AlliedUP Co-op
jonathan.jungwirth@alliedup.com
