As part of our ongoing efforts to share information, the UET Online Magazine features important announcements on events and learning opportunities for bargaining unit employees. Listed below are links to specific timely information for UET Members. Create or update your User Profile by clicking MyUET to receive program updates and the UET Online Magazine by e-mail.
While the Union Education Trust is a remarkable program that funds both tuition and mandatory instruction fees -- Career Improvement Program’s $4,000, Computer Application Training’s $750, and Professional Enhancement Program’s $1,500 for a total of $6,250 per fiscal year – continuing education remains expensive and there are many other costs associated with that endeavor. Pricey textbooks are just one expense that you may need to consider. However, with the resources already available to you and some focused searching, you can find additional scholarship assistance to help with those expenses.
First, you should start with your union! Both OCSEA and AFSCME offer scholarships to supplement usage of your UET benefits, be sure to click the links for more details:
OCSEA’s Les Best scholarship is accepting applications until April 30, 2024. The Les Best program features scholarships for OCSEA members, their dependents, and their spouses.
AFSCME offers the Gerald P. McEntee Scholarship: A one-time, $5,000-scholarship awarded annually to an AFSCME member for use towards higher education.
AFSCME also offers a $2,000 renewable scholarship to high school seniors each year: AFSCME Family Scholarship
Don’t overlook the Union Plus program that offers scholarships to active and retired union members, spouses, and dependent children. This scholarship’s deadline is January 31 each year.
What other community organizations are you a member of? Find out if your place of worship offers educational scholarships – many do! If your denomination is a national one, look at the national governing body’s website for potential scholarships.
It will take some research, but it’s worth looking into your local community service or social networking clubs (Rotary, Lions, Moose, Elk, etc.) and military groups (think American Legion posts, for example) to see what scholarships they offer.
What special interest groups are you a member of? Some examples of these are NAACP and AARP, both which offer scholarships.
Your field of study may have a national organization or association that offers support to students in that major. It’s worth a quick online search to see what opportunities show up in the results.
Your school or college’s financial aid office may have some insight into additional scholarship funds, sometimes earmarked for students who belong to a certain school club or group.
Have you looked through some of the funding resources on the State of Ohio’s Adult Education Agency? That website is: https://highered.ohio.gov The U.S. Department of Labor sponsors CareerOneStop, a searchable database of many scholarships, grants, and financial awards.
Last, you should search any of the many well-known award databases such as scholarships.com and Fastweb.com.
This list is not exhaustive and if you have found another scholarship that has helped you with your continuing education, please share by emailing us here: Scholarship suggestions!
Finding additional funding to supplement your UET benefits can take more time and effort than applying for UET. However, that financial foundation should set you up for success in your lifelong learning journey.