ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. – Central Alabama Community College (CACC) held the first-ever apprenticeship signing ceremony on Monday, Aug. 22, at the Alexander City campus, and 14 CACC-trained nursing students will soon begin working with six different clinical facilities in the area.
This unique program partners CACC with different healthcare businesses. The Alabama Office of Apprenticeship approached the college with the information to begin this program, and through demand, were able to move swiftly to gain interest from clinical partners in the service area.
“I think this is the tip of the iceberg for our students, our companies, and our college,” CACC president Jeff Lynn stated. “It’s a win, win, win. It’s a win for the students because they get employed and educated at the same time, it’s a win for the companies because they are finding much needed workers, and it’s a win for the college because we are able to complete the educational program for the students.”
Jennifer Steele, Health Science Program administrator at CACC, feels this program will help the institution’s students find employers they want to work for and vice versa for the employers.
“As we move forward in recruiting classes each fall and spring, we anticipate student nurse apprentices filling the shortages felt by our clinical partners over the last two to three years,” Steele mentioned.
Students signed agreements with Coosa Valley Medical Center, Grandview Medical Center, Prime Management, and Rehab Select. This particular program is geared to change the experiences for nursing students.
Currently, a nursing student may work a full-time job and attend nursing class on top of completing the required clinical hours. With the apprenticeship program, students can be hired by a healthcare facility, receive higher wages, and be paid for the clinical hours required by the nursing course.
“Most students continue to work full time jobs while caring for families,” said Steele. “This will allow them to have a job and still be enrolled in the nursing program. This is an exciting opportunity for CACC and our healthcare partners.”