Ann Arbor, Michigan, May 30, 2023: IMPART Alliance at Michigan State University (IMPART Alliance) has engaged Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) and their partner Workcred to develop a series of competency-based direct care worker (DCW) certifications and envision a sustainable way for administering these certifications in the future. IMPART Alliance has been awarded funding through the 2023 Michigan general funds to establish a new statewide DCW training and credentialing infrastructure. This funding builds upon a previous grant from the Department of Labor and Economic Development (LEO) to establish an employer-led collaborative tasked with developing and piloting recruitment, training, and credentialing options in collaboration with educational institutions and Michigan Works! Agencies. The purpose of this work is to professionalize the direct care workforce in Michigan and, in doing so, increase the number of qualified DCWs who have economic security. This will be accomplished by increasing the State’s capacity to provide opportunities for training, credentialing and career pathways for direct care workers.
“This work is important because a critical shortage of DCWs in Michigan – with some estimates at 34,000 unfilled positions – threatens the delivery of needed behavioral health, community mental health, and long-term care systems services to support individuals with disabilities and older adults in a range of settings including their own homes,” says Dr. Clare Luz, IMPART Alliance Director. “In addition to higher wages, benefits, and guaranteed hours, DCWs need professional pathways that include training and lead to respect and economic security.”
Working in close partnership with IMPART Alliance, CSW will interview key stakeholders – spanning direct care workers, employers, state agency officials, community colleges, Michigan Works! Agencies and policy organizations with direct care workforce expertise – to gather detailed input about the required competencies for various DCW roles and the value of DCW certification. CSW will also collaborate with Workcred to construct the first competency-based certification in the series and envision a strategy for the certifying body. This work is grounded in work already done by the Michigan DCW Advisory Committee, which was empaneled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Behavioral and Physical Health and Aging Services Administration. The Committee successfully facilitated adoption of – DCW Competency Guidelines and – is now developing three, new, stackable DCW categories each with articulated competencies needed for each role, that align with the new Guidelines.
Of the project, Melissa Goldberg, CSW’s Director of Competencies and Credentials, states, “CSW recognizes the critical need to strengthen the professional pathway of direct care work in Michigan, both to reduce worker shortages and improve economic security and mobility for workers. Our track record of promoting competency-based approaches across various sectors highlights the transformative potential of a certification pathway that recognizes DCWs’ essential skills. We are excited to collaborate with IMPART Alliance and Workcred on this project.”
The project is a significant opportunity to shape the future of DCWs in Michigan and thereby effectively promote workforce and economic development and quality care and outcomes for Michigan’s citizens.
CSW Staff Contact:
Please email Melissa Goldberg at mgoldberg@skilledwork.org with any questions or to seek more information.
About CSW:
CSW (https://www.skilledwork.org) is a national workforce policy nonprofit that catalyzes change in educational and labor market systems, policies, and practices to increase economic mobility, particularly for people of color and others historically excluded from success. For more than 30 years, CSW has focused on achieving scalable improvements in worker skills, lifelong learning, and job quality. CSW collaborates with change makers to develop strategies, identify evidence to inform strategies, build the capacity of organizations, manage initiatives, and evaluate lessons learned.
About IMPART Alliance at Michigan State University:
IMPART Alliance (https://www.impartalliance.org) is a coalition of researchers, DCWs, , individuals receiving support, , employers, advocates, government agencies and other stakeholders working together for solutions to developing a competent direct care workforce, improve the lives of DCWs and those they serve, and be a model for the nation. Formed in 2016 with Michigan Health Endowment Fund support, IMPART Alliance is committed to helping Michigan build the DCW workforce in a systematic, integrated, sustainable way. It has a strong history of funding for developing evidence-based DCW training and engaging in advocacy on behalf of DCWs, much of which has been in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and multiple community organizations.
About Workcred:
Formed in 2014, Workcred (https://www.workcred.org) is an affiliate of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Its mission is to strengthen workforce quality by improving the credentialing system, ensuring its ongoing relevance, and preparing employers, workers, educators, and governments to use it effectively. Workcred’s vision is a labor market that relies on the relevance, quality, and value of workforce credentials for opportunities, growth, and development.
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