In the U.S. today, registered apprenticeship programs prepare people to work in some 1,000 different occupations, from chefs and child development specialists to carpenters and electricians to home health aides and dental assistants. Each year, the federal government invests some $21 million in the apprenticeship system. For workers, apprenticeship is an “earn while you learn” training system that allows them to enter the workforce and earn wages while still learning new skills. For employers, apprenticeship is a tool to help create predictability in a volatile labor market.

Apprenticeship programs are sponsored by employers, who direct creation of the apprenticeship program, developing formal agreements that identify the length of the program, skills to be learned, wages to be paid as apprentices acquire new skills, and the required classroom instruction. The apprenticeship model mirrors traditional healthcare occupation training in many ways, with its emphasis on on-the-job learning, classroom training, demonstration of competencies and licensing requirements. Demand for healthcare workers in the U.S. and internationally has remained high for many years, growing at a rate faster than the overall employment rate for the past fifty years. Currently, healthcare providers face a range of employment and workforce issues. This report discusses how apprenticeship can be used to address a number of workplace and employment challenges in the healthcare industry.

Download the full report: Apprenticeships in the Healthcare Industry.pdf