Oakton Educational Foundation to fund cost of training program

Students will complete Oakton Community College’s brand-new Public Health Contact Tracer Paraprofessional Training program at no cost thanks to the generosity and swift action of the Oakton Educational Foundation and other philanthropic partners. Students who already registered for the course are eligible for a full refund.

Oakton opened registration for the innovative, short-term non-credit training program in early May, and received a significant amount of interest from the public. Nearly 500 students are currently enrolled. Courses begin May 26.

This program answers the call from state officials that nearly 4,000 trained contact tracers are needed immediately in Illinois to combat the spread of COVID-19. State officials later stated publicly that contact tracer training should be available at no cost to participants.

“This training needs to be offered in an equitable manner. The generosity of the Oakton Educational Foundation and other charitable partners makes this possible, and aligns with our state official’s vision of making the training available at no cost to participants,” said Joianne Smith, president of Oakton Community College.

Oakton will provide instructions regarding refunds to students who paid to enroll in the program.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates contact tracing is key to slowing or stopping the spread of COVID-19. The practice is credited for helping to end previous pandemics including the SARS and Ebola outbreaks.

Oakton’s innovative course curriculum aligns with CDC guidelines for contact tracers, and was developed in cooperation with local health departments.

Navigating the online curriculum at their own pace, students can complete the course in as little as three weeks and begin protecting members of their own communities.

The four-module course covers topics including recognizing health disparities and inequities among certain population groups, contact tracing techniques, HIPAA regulations and more. Additionally, the curriculum will help participants develop effective communication skills and increase technology proficiency by familiarizing them with contact tracing apps.

Program participants must be at least 18 years of age, have access to technology, possess a high school diploma or equivalency and have basic technology and English skills. The ability to speak multiple languages is a plus, but is not required.

Ideal contact tracer candidates include retired health care workers, current health care students, and hospitality industry workers whose employment has been impacted by COVID-19. Contact tracing is completed from home and adheres to social distancing guidelines.

The Public Health Contact Tracer Paraprofessional training program is offered as a Continuing Education, Training, and Workforce Development course. Pending approval, completion of the training program can be applied as credit toward a related associate degree or certificate program.

All sections of the Contact Tracer Training Program are currently full. To learn more about the program, visit www.oakton.edu/tracing, and fill out the form to be contacted about future sessions.