Great Bay Community College Sponsors Federal Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program
Great Bay Community College (GBCC) is making it easier for employers to train or upskill individuals interested in becoming medical assistants by sponsoring a new U.S. Department of Labor, Medical Assistant Registered Apprenticeship Program supported by ApprenticeshipNH. This collaboration between GBCC, ApprenticeshipNH, and the NH Office of Apprenticeship provides support for employers to fill the workforce shortage of medical assistants in the Seacoast area.
Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) combine formalized, paid, on-the-job learning with technical education. They are a proven way for employers to hire and retain workers in tight labor markets and for apprentices to earn immediate employment with steadily increasing wages. GBCC worked with ApprenticeshipNH and NH Office of Apprenticeship to develop the training schedule and standards. Through the partnership with GBCC, employers agree to hire apprentices, provide on-the-job training, and assign a mentor to support the apprentices as they progress through the educational elements of the program.
“Employers were telling us that they would like to use apprenticeship to hire more medical assistants, but smaller medical practices and employers expressed concerns about their capacity to build and manage their own programs. GBCC’s sponsorship was developed to address those concerns by taking the administrative burden of developing an apprenticeship off employers,” explained Liz Arcieri, Apprentice and Business Outreach Specialist with ApprenticeshipNH. “Our hope is that employers that don’t have the personnel to manage the program and reporting responsibilities will now be able to participate to fill the desperately needed medical assistant positions.”
GBCC’s program includes eight weeks of classroom instruction and clinical training and a four-week externship. Apprentices also receive one and a half to two years of paid on-the-job training with the participating employer.
“Great Bay Community College has a long-established, robust medical assistant program that has served as the model for other colleges. Apprentices have frequently been enrolled in the program, but our sponsorship means that we now handle many of the administrative and reporting responsibilities on behalf of employers,” said Lynn Szymanski, Director of Workforce Development at GBCC.
Federal funding through the US Department of Labor is available through ApprenticeshipNH for both employers and apprentices. Employers are eligible to receive $2,000 when signing on under the GBCC sponsorship and $500 per apprentice (up to a maximum of eight apprentices) hired within six months of the start of the apprentice program and retained for six months.
Apprentices receive up to $2,000 in scholarship funds and up to $1,500 for support services based on their financial needs. Szymanski explained that federal funding, employer support and other grants typically offset many of the education costs for apprentices participating in a registered program. “Apprenticeships, such as the one we are sponsoring for medical assistants, are a great way for individuals to launch or change a career at minimal cost and for employers to build their own workforce,” she said.
The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security projects continued high demand for medical assistants across the state, with 21.5% job growth in Rockingham County between 2020 and 2030.
ApprenticeshipNH was established in 2017 and is funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Labor to assist employers building registered apprenticeships, pre-apprentice and high school programs in high-demand sectors including advanced manufacturing, automotive technology, biomedical technology, business and finance construction and infrastructure, healthcare, hospitality and information technology. ApprenticeshipNH assists companies with recruiting, screening and hiring potential apprentices, as well as accessing resources in the state that help to fund apprentice training and education. Visit ApprenticeshipNH.com for more information.
