On June 20, the Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium (HCAC) and Training Fund hosted stakeholders from across the state invested in developing educational pathways to behavioral health degree programs. Faculty, administrators, and HCAC staff members gathered to brainstorm ways to meet the state’s behavioral health needs through educational pathways across the state system.
Cynthia DeRocher, an apprentice in the Behavioral Health Technician program, spoke at the event. She said, “The opportunity to do the apprenticeship program and work at the same time has been such a blessing. My employer has been great about accommodating any needs I have. The program has provided any and all resources including their time to assist with any questions on how to do what’s needed to be successful.”
She continued: “I have had help from my teacher on how to format my papers. There is tutoring available, you can schedule a session for help with writing your papers. All the material we need and go over in class is available through the Canvas program which is amazing. Everything necessary for success is available.”
HCAC and the Training Fund are committed to addressing the needs of the state’s behavioral health workforce. The Behavioral Healthcare Apprenticeship Program is a registered statewide apprenticeship program that directly responds to these needs and aims to: promote accessibility to services, build a pathway of skilled and diverse candidates, and stabilize the behavioral health workforce through increased employee motivation and retention.
Training Fund ED Laura Hopkins alongside Behavioral Health Tech apprentices Jessica Ramirez and Cynthia DeRocher.
This innovative program offers three career pathways to address specific areas of concern:
- Behavioral Health Technician: 1-year program
- Peer Counselor: 1-year program
- Substance Use Disorder Professional: 2-year program
Learn more at our webpage highlighting the three programs and sign up to stay up-to-date.