About Us

Pierce County Health Careers Council

The vision of the Pierce County Health Careers Council is to create a system that builds awareness of healthcare career opportunities and trains and connects a skilled workforce to health services providers in convenient, valuable, and efficient ways.

Mission

Develop, implement and oversee collaborative strategies that ensure:

1. A sufficient supply of trained healthcare workers
2. Health services workers have the skill sets to provide quality care
3. Pierce County residents have access to industry specific training that results in employment and career progression in health services
4. Healthcare industry is assisted in its ability to retain staff
5. Awareness of healthcare careers and training opportunities

Goals

• Goal 1: Develop and maintain public and private partnerships, adequate funding and other resources in order to implement goals and sustain strategies to respond to healthcare industry’s needs.
• Goal 2: Analyze training capacity for sustainability at an appropriate level through traditional and nontraditional venues while maintaining high quality of education.
• Goal 3: Improve retention within the healthcare industry by providing career opportunities and training.
• Goal 4: Maximize graduation rates from high demand healthcare training programs while maintaining high quality of education.
• Goal 5: Increase understanding and awareness of healthcare careers to youth and underrepresented audiences.

Our History

In 2001, the Tacoma-Pierce County Workforce Development Council (WCD) created the Pierce County Health Careers Council. They targeted the healthcare sector because personnel shortages were impacting the county’s health and economy.

Pierce County’s largest private sector employers, MultiCare, Good Samaritan and Franciscan, partnered with government-based health care providers, long-term care facilities, labor, community and technical colleges, and universities.

This business-led, sector specific council uses its collective influence and resources to respond to industry needs related to health care employment and training opportunities.  This partnership has marshaled over $15 million to help address significant needs of the industry.