Consortium Receives $7 Million Grant for Health Care Apprenticeships

The AHIMA Foundation, American Hospital Association (AHA), American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), and the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) have joined together to form the Healthcare Workforce Consortium (HWC), which has received notification of a $7.1 million award from the US Department of Labor's Employment & Training Administration that positions the HWC as the Healthcare Sector Intermediary for apprenticeships.

The US Department of Labor is awarding more than $20.4 million in contract awards to 14 national industry intermediaries and national equity partners to expand apprenticeship opportunities across the United States. Part of a historic investment in apprenticeship, the contracts will support the growth of apprenticeship programs in various industries, including health informatics, HIM, HIT and other health care professions, construction, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, and communications technology, and they will support increasing demographic diversity and inclusion in apprenticeship among traditionally underrepresented populations.

"We are thrilled to be recognized as a national leader in this area. The AHIMA Foundation strongly believes that this ApprenticeshipUSA initiative and the American Apprenticeship Initiative will serve as a catalyst to create job opportunities and career pathways for those entering into and those seeking career advancement in all health care professions," says William Rudman, PhD, RHIA, executive director of the AHIMA Foundation.

"The AHA is honored to join the Healthcare Workforce Consortium to advance our mission of supporting the core strength of our hospitals and health systems—the people—who form a community of talented, dedicated individuals who care for patients' health and wellness on a daily basis. Registered Apprenticeships benefit the entire health care field by offering a new path for training the next generation of health care professionals," says Maureen Swick, RN, PhD, senior vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer at AHA, and CEO of AONE.

"The HWC has the unique ability to ensure programmatic success of this apprenticeship initiative with our strong understanding of workforce needs, labor markets, and curricula development and credentialing/certification along with our wide-reaching networks that cut across health care occupations and industry and provider settings," says Doug Fridsma, MD, PhD, FACP, FACMI, president and CEO of AMIA.

"Health care leaders are increasingly recognizing the critical role health systems can and should play in the economic vitality of the communities they serve," says Andy Garman, PsyD, CEO of NCHL and professor of health systems management at Rush University. "Apprenticeships can be a very effective component of a health system's human resource strategy, and we are excited to support this important national effort."

Changes in technology, social constructs and values, and legislation and regulatory factors in the United States have redefined what health professionals do, where they work, and how they work.The Healthcare Sector Intermediary initiative will help address the growing gap between academic training and competencies and the skills needed to ensure workforce readiness. Apprenticeship is a way for employers to build the talent they need to compete and grow and for workers to gain the skills and credentials that put them on the path to successful careers.

Source: AHIMA