Case Study: HealthForce Minnesota creates a PCA career pathway with SkillsEngine

HealthForce Minnesota builds a first-of-its-kind PCA pathway in 2 eight-hour convenings with SkillsEngine

HealthForce Minnesota, a workforce development organization, faced the challenge of creating a standardized career pathway for Personal Care Assistants (PCAs), a role with no defined skills requirements in the U.S. The traditional method for curriculum development was time-intensive and lacked broad stakeholder input. To address this, they partnered with vendor SkillsEngine and utilized its Calibrate technology platform.

SkillsEngine implemented a solution by using its extensive skills database to pull relevant competencies from tangential healthcare roles. This provided a foundational list that was then validated in real-time by a wide range of stakeholders through the Calibrate platform. The results enabled HealthForce Minnesota and Minnesota State faculty to efficiently categorize and score key competencies, dramatically expediting the development of the nation's first credit-bearing PCA training curriculum. This initiative is expected to enhance the quality of care, increase the role's appeal, and create a new articulated pathway into degree programs.

HealthForce Minnesota