By Molly Carpenter
During National Apprenticeship Week, consider adopting an “earn-while-you-earn” job training and career advancement program for direct care professionals.
What comes to mind when you hear the term “apprenticeship”?
If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking of electricians or plumbers, the traditional “trade jobs” that require specialized training or technical knowledge. New workers in these fields typically enroll in formal apprenticeship programs, where they receive training from experienced workers for roles that lead to professional certifications.
Apprenticeships have evolved significantly in recent years, yet these job-training models continue to play a vital role in strengthening the American workforce. Thanks to the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937, apprenticeship programs in the United States now support an ever-growing range of workers, including those in healthcare and aging services. Apprenticeships for certified nurse aides, home health aides, and medical assistants are just a few examples of the job-training models the Department of Labor is promoting.
This is great news for LeadingAge members. It’s also why I’m enthusiastically celebrating National Apprenticeship Week, which began on Sunday, May 26, and runs through Saturday, May 2.
This week offers a great opportunity to consider adopting an “earn-while-you-learn” workforce development model that provides direct care professionals in our field with a clear path to career development and strengthens providers’ ability to attract and retain highly qualified, committed caregivers.
The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston has been working hard to develop and promote apprenticeship programs. A year ago, we began working with the Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition to help Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEP) across the country implement apprenticeships in nursing homes. GWEPs are federal initiatives funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to improve healthcare for older adults by training primary care teams, professionals, and caregivers in geriatric care.
Although the apprenticeship model is not new, it represents a new approach to career development in the field of aging services. Currently, certified nursing assistants (CNA), who provide 90% of direct resident care in nursing homes, are generally expected to advance in their careers by following a narrow pathway that leads to training and certification, first as licensed practical nurses and then as registered nurses.
This linear pathway may make sense for some CNAs, but we’ve learned that not all direct care professionals want to follow it. Unfortunately, with few other career advancement options, many gifted caregivers have left our field.
Apprenticeship programs designed by GWEPs begin with a partnership among employers who work together to expand a CNA’s knowledge in a specialty area. The programs typically include formal and on-the-job training, as well as mentorship, to ensure CNAs have learned the new skills. Once that training is completed, the apprentice receives a new title and a higher wage but continues to do the job they love on the front line of resident care.
I hope you will celebrate National Apprenticeship Week by taking a fresh look at the career pathways within your organization.
Start by listening. Hold focus groups with frontline professionals to discuss career pathways that interest them. Gathering information from CNAs and understanding their needs and career aspirations are essential steps in creating a meaningful apprenticeship program.
Next, get help. Check for resources in your state to help you create an apprenticeship program. Look for other programs and partners that could help you get started on this new career development path.
Finally, reach out to LeadingAge. We’ve learned a lot about apprenticeships over the past year, and we’d be happy to share our knowledge with you. Let us help you create a meaningful career pathway so you can retain skilled, motivated workers by investing in their futures.
Molly Carpenter is the Director of Workforce Strategy and Development in the Washington, DC office of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston.
Carpenter works across LeadingAge teams to advance strategies that improve the recruitment, retention, work experiences, and sustainability of a diverse, quality aging services caregiving workforce. She began her career as a direct care professional and most recently served as a workforce consultant at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Carpenter has also led workforce research and training initiatives for a global home care company.
Carpenter holds two master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska-Omaha: one in education with a gerontology specialization and the other in social gerontology.