SA Healthcare grantees took part in the January industry group meeting. Participants discussed employer and student engagement, pre-apprenticeship and implementation opportunities and challenges. Grantees discussed:
- How to engage employers despite the sustained impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. Grantees have employed numerous strategies including:
- Connecting with state agencies, including state mental health agencies.
- Using success stories from current or previous employers to bring in new employers.
- Capitalizing on business word of mouth.
- Communicating the value and versatility of apprentices even after they have excited the apprenticeship program.
- Types of pre-apprenticeships designed and implemented by SA Healthcare grantees and how to market them.
- Effective ways to ensure apprentices receive healthcare during their apprenticeships including:
- Ensuring apprenticeship programs only partner with employers who guarantee healthcare benefits to apprentices in the same way they provide benefits to other employees.
- Encouraging students to access the health services available through their community college systems.
- Familiarizing students with the state’s cooperative benefits model. Students can receive coverage through these models while they wait for their employee benefits kick in.
- Implementation challenges and opportunities, including opportunities to use existing programs to expand grantees’ apprenticeship programs.
