In the ongoing battle against workforce attrition, an increasing number of healthcare employers are turning to registered apprenticeship programs to fill key allied healthcare roles. In 2024, there were 37,346 registered apprentices in the healthcare industry, a 103% increase over the previous 5 years.
While the word apprentice can mean different things to different people, this post refers to a specific government initiative. The Registered Apprenticeship Program is a high-quality, industry-driven, earn-and-learn career pathway approved and validated by the U.S. Department of Labor or a State Apprenticeship Agency.
For employers, it’s a cost-effective way to onboard promising and motivated entry-level workers. For example, on average, employers see an ROI of $1.47 for every $1 invested in apprentices.
Meanwhile, potential apprentices don’t need more than a high school diploma or the equivalent, unless the specific apprenticeship has additional requirements. It’s a great opportunity to create a career pathway that might not be otherwise available.
Registered Apprenticeships must offer at least 2,000 hours of systematic skill development and meet the 5 components of a Registered Apprenticeship. Most critically among those requirements, registered apprenticeships must include related technical instruction that accelerates work readiness, offer on-the-job training and mentorship and lead to apprentices earning third-party credentials.
For employers considering starting their registered apprenticeship program, MedCerts Partner Solutions offers a turnkey solution. MedCerts is a U.S. Department of Labor-approved provider of Registered Apprenticeship Programs in Allied Healthcare and IT. We work with Apprenti, a non-profit, federally contracted national intermediary for registered apprenticeships, to offer employers a seamless integration of our established curriculum into the registered apprenticeship model.
MedCerts Partner Solutions is a founding Life Sciences Partner with Apprenti, teaming up to provide on-the-job training and mentorship opportunities in critical allied healthcare roles.
Here are 10 key benefits of registered apprenticeship programs, particularly through MedCerts.
#1. Upskill and Retain Existing Employees
Apprenticeships give current staff clear career mobility. When employees see a future inside the organization, turnover drops and loyalty increases. For example, 89% of Apprenti apprentices are retained by their employer, compared to a 29.9% annual turnover rate for healthcare employers poaching from other organizations.
A 2025 Harris Poll found 63% of healthcare workers would be more likely to stay if their current employer provided tuition support. Upskilling is an effective tactic to keep employees motivated and engaged.
#2. Lower Recruitment and Labor Costs
Hospitals in 2023 spent $51.1 billion on contracts to address burnout, absenteeism, and turnover. Understaffing issues are a huge financial burden, from costs associated with overtime, paying a premium to agencies and travelers and signing bonuses needed to poach allied health workers from competing facilities.
By creating new allied healthcare workers through an apprenticeship program, healthcare employers can avoid competing on the open market for talent and draw from a larger and more cost-effective pool of potential applicants.
#3. Solve Chronic Vacancies With a Predictable Talent Pipeline
According to a 2025 MedCerts survey, 41.21% of healthcare employers say it’s been somewhat or much harder to hire allied healthcare workers in the last year. Apprenticeship programs create career pathways that make finding and hiring allied health workers far more predictable. Apprentice cohorts can be as large or small as needed, and timed to start during periods when understaffing is traditionally an issue.
#4. Standardized, High-Quality Training
Typically, in healthcare, there’s a 90-day onboarding period of credentialing and safety/compliance training for even experienced healthcare workers when they join a new facility. Sometimes it can take 6 months or more before the new hire is comfortable with all unit protocols and responsibilities.
Apprentices have the advantage of starting out learning the specific protocols and best practices your network holds employees to. Registered programs often require competency-based progression and validated training standards, meaning you get consistent, higher-quality clinical performance across sites.
#5. Increase Diversity, Equity and Local Workforce
Participation in registered apprenticeship programs can expand talent pools to nontraditional, underserved and underrepresented groups, many of whom cannot afford traditional education routes but excel in earn-while-you-learn models.
For example, according to a study by the American Apprenticeship Initiative, 52% of registered apprentices in healthcare are women, while 44% were Black, Hispanic or another non-White race.
Through an online training provider like MedCerts, rural areas that traditionally wouldn’t have the resources to train enough allied healthcare workers can offer registered apprenticeship programs locally.
#6. Access Federal and State Funding to Offset Costs
Through partnering with MedCerts, which has 15 years of experience with alternative funding models, it’s easier for the healthcare industry to access federal and state funding. That money can dramatically reduce the costs of offering a registered apprenticeship program. Potential reimbursement opportunities include WIOA Title IB Funding, vocational rehabilitation programs, Apprenticeship State Expansion Grants, Health Coverage Tax Credits, Eligible Training Provider List funds, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) incentive funding and sometimes even Medicaid reimbursement.
#7. “Earn While You Learn” Offers Wage Relief
It’s the employer’s responsibility to compensate their apprentice; however, during the learning period, the expectation is that compensation will be less than what a fully trained employee makes. The exact compensation rate is up to the employer, but the Department of Labor has protections in place for apprentices regarding minimum salaries. Apprentices should make no less than 65% of the salary of a fully-competent employee (journeyworker) for months 1-6, with a rate of 75% of a journeyworker’s common compensation for months 7-12 of an apprenticeship.
This arrangement is viewed as a net positive by apprentices. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor has found a 94% retention rate of employees post-apprenticeship. In comparison, the annual hospital staff turnover is 22.7%, while the annual turnover rate for allied health positions often exceeds that. For instance, the annual turnover rate for certified nursing assistants has been as high as 41.8%.
#8. Build Workforce Agility for Future Service Lines
Registered Apprenticeship Programs are a flexible solution that allows systems to quickly build capability in specific roles, based on upcoming expansions or staffing mandates.
MedCerts currently supports registered apprenticeship programs for Phlebotomy Technicians, Medical Assistants, Pharmacy Technician Professionals and Surgical Technologists. With employer interest, they’re also able to support apprenticeship programs for Clinical Medical Assistant & Scribe Professionals, Medical Lab Technicians, EKG Technicians and more. There is a wide range of allied health and IT occupations where MedCerts offers support.
#9. Strengthen Community Reputation and Recruitment Brand
Offering educational opportunities is an incredibly effective way to generate goodwill for an employer, both among employees and the community in general. In another American Apprenticeship Initiative survey, 86% of apprentices said they would recommend their programs to a family member or friend. Meanwhile, for every $1 invested in apprenticeships, there’s a public return of around $28 in benefits.
Offering apprenticeships makes healthcare employers a more valued part of the community.
#10. Lessens The Internal Administrative Burden
Creating a registered apprenticeship program from scratch would be incredibly time-consuming and logistically challenging; however, by partnering with MedCerts and Apprenti, an extensive foundation is already in place. Thanks to MedCerts, there’s already a fully vetted online didactic curriculum, and you’ll have support in dealing with government partners, community organizations and recruitment. MedCerts and Apprenti can help with all the unknown parts of creating a registered apprenticeship program, putting your apprenticeship model in an even greater position for success.
Conclusion
There are myriad reasons why creating a registered apprenticeship program will benefit your healthcare facility, including improving retention, lowering recruitment costs, standardizing training, diversifying the workforce and reputational benefits. Apprenticeship programs are often eligible for federal and state subsidies, and mutual expectations are for lower pay during the earn and learn period.
Most importantly, registered apprenticeship programs can turn positions that were previously a staffing crisis into a predictable talent pipeline. Through working with MedCerts Partner Solutions, apprenticeships offer healthcare employers a sustainable and effective staffing solution.
Want more information about how MedCerts can help get your registered apprenticeship program off the ground? Contact us at [email protected]!
