CHW TRAINING & CERTIFICATION
Start your career as a Community Health Worker
Get certified and working in just a matter of months – not years.
Our affordable, fully online certification program is designed to help you begin working in the fields of health or social services in as little as 12 weeks.
HIGH DEMAND
27,000
projected new CHWs needed to support CA’s population by 2035
COMPETITIVE PAY
$52,000
average starting salary for a full time community health worker
QUICK START
12 Weeks
from your first class to certification as a CHW
Your practical path to working in healthcare.
Breaking into healthcare can be expensive and overwhelming without a clear entrypoint.
The Community Health Worker role offers a different path. Founded on lived experience, this practical training can lead to job-readiness in less than two months, providing an accessible entry point into rapidly growing health-related occupations.
A first step into a
world of opportunity.
CHWs work directly with community members to provide support, education, and resource navigation.
It is one of the fastest growing roles in healthcare and serves as both a standalone career and a gateway into fields such as nursing, public health, and social work. Whether a passionate community member, job changer, or aspiring physician, working as a CHW brings you close to the community and offers invaluable experience in the world of community-centered healthcare.
Professional training, built for real life.
Our program is designed for real people who need a training model that fits into their lives.
BPPE approved
PEC is certified by California’s
Bureau for Private
Postsecondary Education
Affordable
$1,395 tuition with a clear path to recouping that investment within your first paycheck
Online and accessible
No in-person attendance required until your field experience
Fast Track
Complete your certification in as little as 12 weeks, in the comfort of your own home
Job Placement
Guaranteed support in finding employment post-certification
It’s 100% free, and it takes less than 10 minutes.
Yes, you’d make an incredible community health worker.
As a non-degree-requiring role, this profession embraces those who have lived experience in the populations they wish to serve – but that’s not a requirement. More than anything else, we look for individuals with a sincere desire to make an impact in the lives of their neighbors.
This role is perfect for:
Career starters
Take advantage of a low-cost, low-risk way to begin working in healthcare and building relevant experience, without committing to an expensive degree path.
Future health leaders
Gain paid, hands-on experience working with patients and communities while strengthening your foundation for medical, nursing, or public health training.
Purpose seekers
By engaging in meaningful work in your community, you’re supporting patients directly and helping bridge critical gaps in access to care. You’ll make a living by making an impact.
Earn your credential from a BPPE-approved college.
Despite the cost and time it took to attain it, we see our collegiate designation and the rigorous administrative oversight required to maintain it as being integral to safeguarding the quality and integrity of our training, particularly as many new CHW training providers emerge across the state.
Founded as a social enterprise under Reach Out, a community based organization with a 60-year footprint in Southern California and nearly a decade track record of training and employing community health workers, Pacific Empire College officially launched in 2025 after an extensive, multiyear approval process by California’s BPPE to function as a college.
BPPE Certified
PEC is certified by California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
HCAI Compliant
Our curriculum has been developed in full compliance with HCAI 2026 guidelines
ETPL Approved
Our programs are approved for reimbursement under the EDD’s Eligible Training Provider List
COHORT SCHEDULES
Your health career starts here.
-
Starting date: June 28
6h/week for 3 months (11-12 weeks)
Tuesday and Thursday - 1pm to 4pm
-
Information will be available soon
-
Information will be available soon
Trusted by the agencies we all know and rely on.
W H E R E O U R G R A D U A T E S W O R K
