A program through the Missouri Chamber Foundation to help meet the growing demand for health care workers is showing great progress.
The Industry-Driven Healthcare Apprenticeship Program was launched in January 2023 thanks to a $3 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant and $1.35 million federal appropriation.
Health care systems participating in the program include BJC HealthCare, CoxHealth, Hannibal Regional Healthcare System, Jordan Valley Community Health Center, Mercy and University Health.
In their September report, the health care providers reported several new apprenticeship programs started thanks to the grant. They include:
The health care systems are also seeing success in their established apprenticeship programs. For example, Jordan Valley reported a 90% pass rate for its last dental assistant cohort.
Employers participating in the program will receive $2,000 for each apprentice they train in occupations such as:
The goal is to train over 1,500 apprentices by January 2026 and transition over 95% of those trained apprentices into permanent, full-time employees.
Another key objective of the program is cultivating a diverse workforce by engaging people from various backgrounds, including people of color, people who are unemployed, disabled individuals and veteran workers.
The Industry-Driven Healthcare Apprenticeship Program is modeled after another successful program focused on IT jobs. Since its inception in 2020, the Missouri Chamber Foundation’s Industry-Driven IT Apprenticeship Grant program has served over 3,600 apprentices.
To learn more about the Industry-Driven Healthcare Apprenticeship Program, click here.
Disclaimer: This product is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award numbers SLFRP 4542 awarded to the State of Missouri by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
