Training and Workforce Development

NIOSH conducts research to find effective ways to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses through training. NIOSH also supports academic degree programs and research training opportunities in areas including industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, and occupational safety. In addition, NIOSH supports a number of short-term training programs for professionals.

Research

National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce
To respond to growing concern and debate over the supply and demand for occupational safety and health professionals in the United States, NIOSH commissioned a National Survey of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce, released in October, 2011.

NIOSH Training Research and Evaluation
NIOSH investigates and evaluates training programs and their components to determine the optimal approach or media to communicate and educate audiences about occupational safety and health issues.

NIOSH Agricultural Safety and Health Centers
The Centers for Agricultural Disease and Injury Research, Education, and Prevention represent a major NIOSH effort to protect the health and safety of agricultural workers and their families. The NIOSH Agricultural Centers were established as part of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / NIOSH Agricultural Health and Safety Initiative in 1990. The Centers were established by cooperative agreement to conduct research, education, and prevention projects to address the nation’s pressing agricultural health and safety problems.  Geographically, the Centers are distributed throughout the nation to be responsive to the agricultural health and safety issues unique to the different regions.

Programs

NIOSH Education and Research Centers
Through university-based Education and Research Centers (ERCs), NIOSH supports academic degree programs and research training opportunities in the core areas of industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, and occupational safety, plus specialized areas relevant to the occupational safety and health field. NIOSH also supports ERC short-term continuing education (CE) programs for occupational safety and health professionals, and others with worker safety and health responsibilities http://www.niosh-erc.org/.

NIOSH Hazardous Substance Training (HST) and Hazardous Substance Academic Training (HSAT) Program
Through an interagency agreement with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIOSH offers a continuing education program in hazardous substance training, conducted through supplemental training grants to the NIOSH Education and Research Centers (ERCs). This program also includes graduate academic training to further meet the needs of professional personnel.

NIOSH Training Project Grants
Training Projects Grants are supported by NIOSH at academic institutions that primarily provide single-discipline graduate training in the industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, occupational safety, and closely related occupational safety and health fields.

Education and Training in Mining Topic Page
Methods and materials for training miners, as well as preventing injuries and illnesses by improving the organization of work.

Spirometry Training Courses Topic Page
NIOSH is responsible for approving courses in spirometry for instruction of those individuals who will be administering screening pulmonary function testing to workers who are exposed to cotton dust.

Emergency Responder Training Program
The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) implements a comprehensive nationwide Emergency Responder Training Program for fire fighters, paramedics and other first responders. This project is supported by NIOSH through a cooperative agreement.

CDC Training Opportunities

Public Health Training Fellowships
We are looking for motivated students, graduates, and health professionals for a variety of exciting public health training programs.

CDC Learning Connection
Locate learning products and resources developed by CDC and CDC partners for the public health community.

CDC/ATSDR Sponsored/Coordinated Student/Training Programs Office of Minority Health
The Office of Minority Health (OMH) supports training opportunities for qualified students at all levels of their education in order to increase the capacity of the organizations in which these students will work in the future. This site does include some links to non-Federal organizations