Nearly 90 percent of the second graduating class of Leading Age California's Gateway In Project were employed as certified nursing assistants or home health aides after one year, according to a follow-up evaluation by researchers at the Leading Age LTSS Center @Massachusetts Boston released Thursday.
This project started on July 1, 2022 and ended on June 30, 2025. The organization was sharing evaluations for its first group of graduates in November 2024.
The three-year LeadingAge California initiative aims to address the clinical workforce shortage by recruiting, training and providing employment opportunities for new CNAs and HHAs across the Golden State. This effort is made possible by a $25 million grant from the California Health Care Access and Information Authority.
In the second phase of the evaluation, a sample of students enrolled in the second year of the project was surveyed at various intervals. The LTSS Center sent an online survey to 412 students before training began to provide researchers with baseline statistics. Then, 155 graduates completed the survey one month after completing their training, and 78 graduates completed the survey while on the job approximately one year after completing their training.
Overall, the proportion of second-year graduates employed as CNAs or HHAs increased at each follow-up time point, reaching nearly 90% at one year. Most survey respondents indicated that they found work in a skilled nursing setting as an employee of an organization rather than as an agency staff member.
“Some graduates held two jobs, while others performed multiple duties in a single job,” the report said.
Seventy-five percent of students in the second graduating class of the Gateway Inn Project reported high job satisfaction one year after completing their training.
One month after training, 93% of graduates said they were very likely or almost certain to continue working as a CNA or HHA within the next 3-6 months. At 1-year follow-up, the rate had dropped to 74%.
The report found that although most (98%) second-year graduates were highly satisfied with the project, lack of income was an issue for approximately 60% of graduates.
“Training initiatives like the Gateway In Project can bring in new CNAs and HHAs, especially in the senior services field, who may not be able to afford CNA/HHA training,” said Natasha Bryant, senior director of workforce research and development at the LTSS Center. “Additionally, we are pleased that our participation in the Gateway Inn project appears to be increasing interest in similar high-level, high-wage positions in the aging service sector.”
