On June 7, 2012, Ms. Debra Burton, 51, walked at her graduation ceremony to receive her associate’s degree in Behavioral Health and Human Services from Philadelphia University. The road to a college degree has not been easy for her. Her parents did not attend school past the sixth grade. She grew up in Northern Philadelphia and dropped out of high school, earning her General Education Diploma (G.E.D.) twenty years later. At the age of 18 she raised her first child as a single mother. She started work as a nursing assistant where she received onsite training to earn her certification as a nursing assistant. This year she is the first in her family to earn a college degree. She currently resides in the same area where she grew up.

What made the crucial difference in her work-life and career was access to the education and training services provided by a regional training partnership: the District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund. The training fund was established in 1974 as a labor-management training program to address the workforce needs of the health-care industry in Philadelphia. The training fund is a jointly managed non-profit of District 1199C serving the National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees, AFSCME, and 54 healthcare employers. It has partnerships with local colleges to provide life-changing opportunities for workers. In addition, the training fund makes higher education accessible for workers by providing excellent financial, academic, and emotional support. Workers are reimbursed for their tuition expenses, take college prep classes and are given extra tutoring for their classes.

Debra Burton’s interaction with the training fund goes back to 2000, when she became a restorative nursing aid. She performed her job well and learned what she calls the “head knowledge” to excel in her field. However, she did not earn competitive wages because she lacked formal education and a degree. A year-and-half later Ms. Burton joined 1199C, which fought for the retroactive payments she was owed. She is thankful for 1199C efforts to ensure she was paid for her work. Through this experience she realized the financial difference a college degree would have on her life. She recalls, “Even if you are able to do the work, without a degree you cannot get paid for the work you do.” She affirms that pursuing a college degree is an “incentive to get paid what I am worth.”

Ms. Burton first learned about the training fund’s partnership with Philadelphia University at her worksite where delegates from 1199C post informational flyers about education and career advancement programs. Initially, Ms. Burton was not prepared for college classes. She needed to improve her reading and math skills in order to be accepted into the program. For two years she worked with instructors and tutors. Ms. Burton recalls “1199C did everything they could to get me into college; they brought up my math and reading scores.”

Finally, Ms. Burton was accepted into the training fund’s behavioral health program at Philadelphia University. She took one class each academic semester and continued to receive help from the tutors at the fund. “The work was hard and took long hours. I can’t say enough how much 1199C helped. I took advantage of the tutors who made themselves available even on off days.” The training fund offers academic support through its tutoring program and lets workers use their technology and space to complete their assignments. In addition, the training fund staff supports workers with a personal community. According to Ms. Burton the training fund helped every part of her education journey. “I cannot express how supportive they were for me. There was always someone I could talk to about the process,” she says.

Reflecting on her experience Ms. Burton expresses some of the lessons she learned. “I learned that I am a wonderful writer. I learned I am able to do anything if I put my hard work into it.” Upon completing her associate’s degree she transferred into a bachelor’s degree program in behavioral health and human services at Philadelphia University. “Never in my wildest dream did I think I would have a college degree. I’m excited.”

Currently, Ms. Burton works as a reanalysis clerk for the medical record department at North Philadelphia Health System. She continues to encourage her co-workers to advance their careers and take advantage of the training fund’s education and supportive services.

For health care workers a certification, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree can result in competitive wages overnight. Though workers may possess the head knowledge learned on the job, if they lack certification or a higher education degree, their wages will not reflect the quality of their knowledge and work. Joint labor-management programs help individuals, like Debra Burton, achieve their education dreams alongside their full time job, making an enormous difference in their members’ lives.

Profile by Jessica Camacho, Wellesley College. Jessica was an intern in the AFL-CIO Policy Department during the summer of 2012.