Quality Care through Quality Jobs Training Collaborative

When direct care workers receive high-quality training, they are less likely to experience workplace stress and injuries and more likely to remain in their jobs. And with reduced turnover among workers, consumers benefit from higher-quality care, and employers save money, as it costs an estimated $2,500 to recruit, orient, and train each new worker.

In 2015, PHI formed the Quality Care through Quality Jobs (QCQJ) Training Collaborative in Chicago, working with four providers and one labor union that together served more than 21,000 older adults, employed 9,500 personal care aides, and trained 2,400 new staff per year throughout Illinois. PHI designed the 40-hour training curriculum, delivered train-the-trainer sessions for key staff, and formally evaluated the project for potential replication elsewhere.

Through the QCQJ Training Collaborative, providers recognized the benefits of high-quality, adult learner-centered training. The newly hired aides who completed the enhanced 40-hour training reported high satisfaction with their training, better preparedness for their roles, and reduced intent to leave. These promising outcomes led QCQJ providers to permanently implement components of the new training program.