ACC’s Hybrid Health Care Apprenticeship Answers Industry’s Workforce Demand

Arapahoe Community College (ACC) is once again teaming up with Centura Health to innovate apprenticeship pathways that lead students to entry-level health care occupations and opportunities for upward growth to mid-skilled and advanced-skilled roles. A striking feature of ACC’s newest health care apprenticeship is it’s flexibility, allowing students to maintain full-time employment throughout the program.

The Hybrid Apprenticeship

ACC and Centura Health transformed their traditional eighteen-month, classroom-based Medical Assistant apprenticeship program to a one year, on-site, hands-on apprenticeship utilizing a hybrid model of credit and noncredit online, classroom, and clinical instruction. Unlike stand-alone education programs that focus mainly on theory, the hybrid apprenticeship focuses on job-specific skill and competency development needed for the job.

Apprentices work up to thirty-two paid hours per week on-site and transition into full-time medical assistant roles after six months upon passing a national certification exam. Students are taught by experienced practitioners, called preceptors, who facilitate the application of theory to practice in the work setting, assess on the job learning, and provide mentorship. So, it’s no surprise that over 85% of apprentices are gainfully employed with Centura Health immediately following program completion.

Higher Education, Industry, and Government Collaboration

To support funding and recruitment, local workforce centers such as AD Works and the Denver Workforce Center are partnering with ACC and Centura Health. This partnership is a direct result of Colorado industry, government departments such as the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, and higher education via Skill Advance collaborating to meet the need for innovation around increasing a qualified workforce for the health care industry. Skillful Colorado (Markle Foundation) has also joined the table to help health care employers connect to qualified talent by calibrating the apprenticeship’s skills and competencies to job profiles through a tool called Skills Engine.

The future of work in Colorado’s health care industry relies on innovative programs like ACC’s hybrid apprenticeship model that brings higher education, industry, and government together to build robust competency frameworks and accelerated pathways that not only save students time and money, but also lead to high-paying, high-demand jobs.

Health Care at Arapahoe Community College

ACC’s  Medical Assistant apprenticeship program launched in July 2018 and is currently running two pilot cohorts with twelve apprentices per cohort, with a plan to run 30 per cohort in the future. ACC also expanded the program to the Hospital Corporation of America which will run two cohorts. For more information on ACC’s various health care programs and apprenticeships visit their health care programs page.