Apprenticeships have always helped young minds to gain career opportunities with wage premiums. No matter how old the practice of apprenticeships has been, it has continued to benefit thousands of people who want to work while learning. Unlike internships, where students earn very little money and rarely get any formal training, an apprenticeship leads to gain nationally recognized credentials that the recipient can take anywhere in the country. Basically, it is a structured form of formal training where workers get paid to learn skills through on-the-job training. This eventually helps them to boost their knowledge and skills along with the earnings. The model has been successfully running in various skilled trades, such as the construction industry and the healthcare sector. Almost every doctor receives the paid classroom-based training during their internships and residencies.
Also Read: Interested in working in healthcare? An apprenticeship could be for you
The Apprenticeships have proven to be highly beneficial for the new-comers in the medical field but the structured program has equal importance for the healthcare sector. The medical industry has focused on apprenticeship programs to address chronic workforce shortages and increasing skill demands for the key occupations in the healthcare sector. The program is developed as such to create a dedicated, capable and long-term workforce that can secure the future of health care services.
Listed below are the few ways in which the healthcare industry is making the most out of apprenticeships.
1. Train the Brains
The program is structured according to the latest trends and advancements going on in the healthcare sector to bridge the existing knowledge and skills gaps in the chosen field. The range of courses offered has continued to expand and with technology evolving rapidly, it becomes necessary for the employer and the employee to provide and develop knowledge that is directly relevant to their jobs. In the healthcare sector, it becomes necessary to have high skilled persons who are capable to solve the problems on their own without taking much time of the patients and hence it becomes necessary to have the apprenticeships programs to train the brains.
2. Time is Money
Everybody knows the value of time, especially when it comes to the healthcare sector where every second count. In the most hectic schedules and days, hospitals don’t get enough time to sit and interview individuals who are perfect for the job. Recruiting staff takes a lot of time and is a costly process too. Along with the risks it comes, up-skilling the existing staff seems so much easier and meaningful. It is a great way to ensure that the organization already has a bunch of capable personnel who can ensure the bright and secure future of the sector. This well-trained staff brings value to the organization.
3. Improve your service
The healthcare sector has seen a major change in the shift of the decade. With technologies evolving at such a rapid rate, the employers always need to improve the service and the quality of the product. With such pressure of serving the best, training the apprentices and hiring them has proved to be benefiting for the employers and the development of skills relevant to the organization.
The healthcare sector has always recognized the value of guided hands-on learning, and now more and more employers are turning to this time-tested traditional method of earning while learning. This has not only given the chance to budding talents to train their minds but also developed skilled labour in their organizations. By training apprentices for occupations such as medical assistants, health IT, nursing, the health sector addresses the shortage of staff, increases workers’ productivity and improves retention.
Also Read: National Education Policy- Enough Focus on Vocational Education? – Part II
Apprenticeships have offered substantial benefits to both workers and businesses. Due to the lack of awareness among the workers and the employers, there is a limited reach of current apprenticeships and that is causing the millennials to face hurdles like economic challenges and lack of skill development. A set of policies should be proposed to bridge this gap and apprenticeships should be expanded to improve the business and engage the young minds in the opportunities to well-paying jobs.
