PTC offers updated Human Services Eligibility Worker program

Pine Technical College’s Human Services Eligibility Worker diploma and associate degree programs have been updated with a new curriculum that reflects the training and education required for serving in the current public assistance service sector. The programs, previously offered as the Public Welfare Financial Worker diploma and associate degree, prepare students and graduates for positions working in state or county agencies.

“With the updated curriculum and subsequent renaming of the program, we are more prepared than ever to train and develop our students for this valuable human service work,” says Rita Watson, Human Services Eligibility Worker Instructor. “Our previous, long-running Public Welfare Financial Worker program met industry standards and was excellent, but with any training or program, we must continually self-assess and review to ensure we’re staying current, relevant, and up-to-date with ever-evolving technology, in addition to remaining on top of what employers expect,” Watson explains.

Students of the program look forward to a favorable job outlook, as county human service agencies in all of Minnesota’s 87 counties employ eligibility workers; more than two thousand men and women are currently employed as eligibility workers across the state. Historically, between 150 and 200 eligibility workers are hired statewide each year, and while some newly hired eligibility workers are promoted from clerical jobs within a human service agency, most new hires come from outside the agency, and many prefer to hire trained graduates. Additionally, students may take courses via their computers, joining class lectures “live,” and asking questions as they arise as if physically present. This delivery method allows students living in more distant locations access to the program.

“The HSEW program is for individuals who enjoy working with people and computers, plus have an interest in helping people in times of financial need,” Watson says. “Students will learn to use computer systems used by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, plus develop an understanding of the complex rules and policies governing public assistance. And, they will discover and explore issues surrounding diversity as well as advance in their communication skills,” Watson adds.

Once on the job, human services eligibility workers’ duties may include evaluating and recording financial and household data obtained from individuals; initiating procedures to grant, modify, deny, or terminate benefits for various aid programs; and, communicating the decision and policy that supports it to clients.

PHOTO at top: Rita Watson, Human Services Eligibility Worker Instructor