Education and Training Resources

Career and Workplace Enhancement Center (CWE Center)

The Career and Workplace Enhancement Center (CWE Center) is a partnership between AFSCME Local 328 and OHSU. The CWE Center provides members with the resources they need to succeed and advance in the workplace. 

Did you know that services offered to Local 328 union members include the following? Click the following links to learn more.

• Career counseling - the CWE center has a career counselor that you can request to meet with

• Skill-building classes - from project management to interviewing skills (and more) there are a variety of classes offered through the CWE center. 

• LinkedIn Learning - Free access to the online learning platform LinkedIn Learning

• English conversation practice - opportunities to to improve English skills

Additionally through the Career Information System (CIS) offered through the CWE Center there are additional resources. Local 328 union members can view the CIS How to Guide to see specifically how to access the following resources. 

• Search for scholarships you may be eligible for. 

• Answer career assessment questionnaires to see what job roles and careers may align with your interests and strengths. These tests are private and simply meant to help provide you ideas about what directions you may want to have for future career interests and goals. 

• Access practice tests through Learning Express

Visit the CWE Center O2 site to free professional development resources offered collaboratively by OHSU and our union!  

Professional Development Reimbursement Program (PDRP)

If you are an AFSCME-represented employee, you may qualify for reimbursement of up to $1,200 per fiscal year for certain professional development expenses. Visit this page on the CWE Center O2 site to learn more, see what expenses qualify and apply.  

AFSCME International Scholarships for members

AFSCME International offers a variety of scholarships for current AFSCME members and their families as well as retired AFSCME members. Visit this AFSCME webpage to see a current list of scholarships. 

Building Bridges/United We Heal 

“OHSU partnered with AFSCME Local 328 and United We Heal to secure the Future Ready Oregon education and training grant from the state of Oregon.”

Local 328 and OHSU collaborated with United We Heal to obtain the Future Ready Oregon education and training grant from the state of Oregon. Classes can last a few weeks to several months.

Free trainings and certifications are offered to move into the roles of certified nursing assistant, dental assistant, medical assistant, and phlebotomist. If you are interested, view the Free Entry-level Health Care Career Training page through OHSU and submit an interest form, and you will be provided more information and someone will contact you about the next steps. 

Oregon AFSCME Council 75 Scholarships

In addition to accessing the scholarship search database through the CWE Center’s Career Information System, Oregon AFSCME Council 75 also offers several scholarships. All Council 75-generated scholarships are administered through the Oregon state scholarship commission, officially the Office of Student Access and Completion. AFSCME Council 75 scholarships include the following. 

• Donna Danner Memorial Scholarship: The Donna Danner Memorial Scholarship Fund is named after one of Council 75's most beloved members. Donna Danner was one of our own Local 328 activists for many years before her premature passing from complications from a brain tumor in 2000. Apply online at the OSAC link above; use Code 315MX.

• Cornelia Valentine Murphy Scholarship — The Murphy scholarship was established in the name of the former Council 75 Political Coordinator by her brother, Paul Murphy. Cornelia Murphy died from cancer in May 2006. There is one $500 scholarship awarded annually. Apply online at the OSAC link above; use Code 500MX.

• Bill Lucy Scholarship: This award was established in 2014 in the name of AFSCME International's Secretary-Treasurer from 1972 to 2010. His decades of service include collaborating with Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis during the 1968 sanitation workers' strike. (It was during this strike that Dr. King was assassinated.) There are two $1,000 scholarships awarded annually for students of labor studies or political science. Apply online at the OSAC link above; use Code 690.

Additional Resources

Relevant Education and Training Local 328 blog posts that relate to career advancement are as follows.

• Exploring Career Opportunities Through Job Shadowing at OHSU (May 8, 2024)

• AFSCME Education Hours are Guaranteed (April 18, 2024)

Relevant Education and Training Local 328 blog posts and links that relate to labor/union/contract and bargaining knowledge and understanding are as follows.

• Know Your Rights: All Local 328 Union Members Deserve Respect (June 21, 2024)

• The Importance of Solidarity In Bargaining and Contract Protection (September 4, 2024)

• General overview of Oregon's Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA), which is the law that defines the terms of our bargaining

  • There is a chart of mandatory and permissive subjects of bargaining (what the employer is required to negotiate with us, vs. what is allowed but not required), as well as some information on Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs).

Contact

If you have questions or ideas about education resources for Local 328 members, please email education@local328.org, the Education and Training Chair of Local 328’s Executive Board.