Current Programs
PLACE - Preparing Los Angeles for County Employment
WERC has launched a career preparation partnership with the County of LA. Preparing Los Angeles for County Employment (PLACE) readies county residents for good entry level jobs. PLACE provides opportunities for individuals who want to serve the public. WERC creates a dynamic learning environment for participants that includes workplace prep workshops, skills and technical education, classroom and on-the-job training, and support in applying for County employment. We assign each participant a WERC Case Manager to provide robust supportive services identifying challenges and solutions, and support participants’ success. Case Managers will continue to work with participants for at least 6 months into their new position.
Cultural Transformation Training Programs
Over the past eight years, WERC has engaged thousands of LA County workforce members in dynamic learning experiences aimed at transforming workplace culture. Training topics include promoting a culture of continuous improvement, creating a work environment that values individual learning and growth, and fostering a more collaborative labor-management dynamic. WERC has provided these dynamic Cultural Transformation Training programs for all three of LA County’s health departments (Department of Health, Department of Mental Health, Department of Public Health):
Labor Management Committee Program
The Labor Management Committee (LMC) Program is an ongoing training effort centering around the partnership between management and labor at DHS. The program consists of series of trainings and related coaching interventions that explore skills and best practices for effective committee work. Over a dozen LMC groups from throughout the department have engaged in the training program, which seeks to transform the way that these groups communicate and work together by completing project-based initiatives in a partnership mode.
PRIDE Project
The PRIDE project is a dynamic self-guided training focused on workplace respect. Initiated by the DHS PRIDE Labor-Management Task Force, the training aims to increase awareness about workplace bullying, the impacts of bullying behaviors, and how to respond appropriately to these behaviors. In addition, the training explores how all workforce members can proactively create a more respectful workplace.
Just Culture Training Program
WERC has developed and delivered ongoing trainings for the Los Angeles County Health Agency’s Just Culture Initiative. The Just Culture initiative seeks to establish a working culture in which safety is an individual and organizational priority, and where errors, near misses, and unintended outcomes are seen as opportunities for improvement. WERC has engaged hundreds of workforce members from throughout the Health Agency in Just Culture training sessions focused on the implementation and sustainment of this cultural transformation.
Past Programs
Care Navigator Apprenticeship Pilot program
WERC, in partnership with L.A. Care’s Safety Net Initiatives (SNI) department, the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC), and Health Care LA-IPA (HCLA) created the Care Navigator Apprenticeship Pilot program (CNAP) to assist community-based clinics in improving care management and coordination of high-risk patients with complex medical, behavioral and social needs.
CNAP is designed to recruit authentic community representatives who have cultural affinity to the patient population they serve. Care Navigators are trained and coached over a period of one year including an initial intensive classroom training period, followed by on the job training to build their skills and competencies. This model of education and deployment is an apprenticeship model where workers learn in the classroom and through demonstrating competency on the job under the guidance of a mentor/preceptor. It is a registered Community Health Worker Apprenticeship Program with the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards and the United States DOL Office of Apprenticeship.
The program is made available through generous support from L.A. Care Health Plan, and The California Endowment.
Los Angeles Emergency Medical Technician apprenticeship
The Los Angeles Emergency Medical Technician (LA EMT) apprenticeship prepares young men and women of color from disadvantaged backgrounds to work as EMT’s within their own communities. The apprenticeship develops medical knowledge, technical skills, and professional standards in preparation for the national certification exam. WERC’s LA EMT program includes fulltime (40 hours per week) preparatory classroom and hands-on instruction taught by a Paramedic from the LA County Fire Department. Subsequent hands-on instruction includes medical equipment operation and role-playing of emergency scenarios.
Upon successfully passing the national certification exam, WERC currently places apprentices with McCormick Ambulance company serving LA County. Since the Fire Academy requires EMT credentialing for entry, WERC is also partnering with the LA County Fire Department to open a career pathway for former apprentices.