Education and Workforce Development Branch

The Education and Workforce Branch Is responsible for ensuring a well trained, competent workforce at the state and local level.  The Branch is charged with preparing the workforce and its community partners of responders and receivers to respond to a bioterrorism event or other public health emergency. The Branch supports these efforts through four (4) programs as described below.

The Education and Workforce Branch staff is responsible for maintaining and technical assistance for the TrainingFinder Real-time Affiliate Integrated Network (TRAIN). TRAIN is a multi-functional web-based training host system for health organizations.  Currently used in 27 states, the subscription to Kentucky's TRAIN system is paid for by the Kentucky Department for Public Health. 

It is FREE for health organizations to use to put training information available for their staff or the public, and it is FREE for the public to access.  NOTE:  Not all content on TRAIN is available to the public.  The content provider for the training determines access to the materials.

DPH uses TRAIN to provide an organized, cost efficient method of delivering and documenting educational programs and training courses using a variety of formats such as face to face, videoconference, webcast, datacast, satellite and online modules.  These programs and trainings are available to multiple disciplines as well as lay individuals.  Since TRAIN is an online management system these programs and trainings are available to anyone with computer access 24 hours, 7 days a week.  

Kentucky TRAIN currently has 25,000 registered users with the expectation that this number will continued to grow.   You can access TRAIN at http://ky.train.org

The Module Development in the Education and Workforce Branch creates training modules for a variety of uses.  These training modules are developed for DPH, Hospitals, Local Health Departments, and related DPH partners.

These are interactive training modules developed for TRAIN with video.  These modules often use Adobe Captivate animation processes that provide a much more ease of use in a web-based training. 

In addition, modules also use video for training and other media types.  An example of the Module Development expertise in video training is the Emergency Preparedness exercise that occurred in 2007.  During the destruction of a major building complex in Louisville, an exercise was held to test the community and state's emergency preparedness.  The Module Development video taped the exercise and created a training around the findings.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health's Distance Learning Network (KEN-NECT) is managed by the The Education and Workforce Branch staff.  The Branch is responsible for providing the technical assistance and expertise to the multi-media systems used by CONNECT.

KEN-NECT is a network of different methods of communicating training and other information to those involved with the Department of Public Health.  The Branch works with numerous communication methods, including:

• 48 Video Sites
• 64 Satellite Sites
• Live/Archived web-casting through TRAIN
• Datacasting to all Local Health Departments, DPH, and 127 Hospitals
• Podcasting

The Continuing Education of the Education and Workforce Branch provides continuing education units (CEU) for numerous trainings provided through the Branch.  The offering of CEUs for our trainings ensures the quality of programming and to meet the needs of our workforce to maintain professional licenses and credentialing. 

While the Continuing Education Unit coordinates obtaining CEUs for our trainings with a variety of professions (Physicians, Social Workers, Certified Health Education Specialists, Registered Sanitarians, etc.), the Continuing Education Unit actually administers the Kentucky Board of Nursing - Nurse Education Providership.

The administration of the Kentucky Board of Nursing - Nurse Education Providership provides Nursing CEU “Contact Hours” for Face to Face, Video Conference, Webcasts, and Online Module trainings. 

Additionally, the Continuing Education Unit administers the Commission on Dietitian Registration Providership approval of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credits for Face to Face and Videoconference Trainings.