State awards $13.5M in second round of health care apprenticeship grants

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Iowa’s Health Careers Registered Apprenticeship Program has awarded $13.5 million to 21 registered apprenticeship programs.

Gov. Kim Reynolds announced in her Condition of the State address in January a second $15 million round of funding for the Health Careers RA Program that would support RA programs in more high-demand health care careers like emergency medical responders and behavioral health and substance abuse specialists. “This funding is not just about supporting programs today, it’s about paving the way for new health careers across Iowa in the decades to come,” Reynolds said in a prepared statement.

Recent job opening data on IowaWorks.gov showed four out of the top six occupations with the highest openings were in the health care field.

“The strength of our health care workforce impacts many areas of our economy, not just in the metro areas but in more rural communities across the state,” Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development, said in the news release. “Routing new opportunity through Registered Apprenticeships, which include on-the-job and classroom experience, is a proven way to encourage long-term careers where we need them the most.”

The first round of grants totaling $2.45 million were awarded to 22 school districts in June 2022. Those grants have helped fund 450 new apprentices.

Awardees for the second round include hospitals, community colleges, school districts and assisted living facilities. The full list of awardees is available on the program page.