National Apprenticeship Week, held April 26 to May 2, 2026, by the U.S. Department of Labor promotes Registered Apprenticeship. Since the annual event was created in 2015, more than 2 million people have participated in National Apprenticeship Week events. This year’s theme is “America at Work: Making America Skilled Again Through Registered Apprenticeship”, reflecting the key strategy of equipping American workers with skilled jobs aligned with future demand.
As one of the only Department of Labor-approved online registered apprenticeship intermediaries, MedCerts is proud both to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week and to make apprenticeship a year-round focus. MedCerts Partner Solutions works directly with businesses that employ allied healthcare and IT professionals, providing them with a best-in-class online curriculum and logistical support.
Combined with concurrent in-person training, year-long apprenticeships are the perfect way to train contributors with a solid foundation while still filling vacancies from day one. Additionally, because these apprenticeships are paid positions, it widens the candidate pool to include candidates who couldn’t afford to stop working while they’re learning.
As part of the MedCerts celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, here are some past success stories illustrating the impact of registered apprenticeships:
MedCerts Teams Up With Aspire Rural Health Systems On A Successful Surgical Technologist Apprenticeship Program
Aspire Rural Health Systems is a family of 70+ providers in the primarily rural and agricultural Michigan counties of Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola, and Lapeer. Faced with a shortage of skilled surgical technologists, they teamed up with MedCerts Partner Solutions and GST Michigan Works! to create a one year long registered apprenticeship.
Abigail Chappel and Briana Hovinga started their Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship programs on June 24, 2024. Splitting their time between their online MedCerts coursework, hands-on training and supervised rotations, Abigail and Briana demonstrated exceptional teamwork, technical proficiency and compassion.
They quickly adapted to the fast-paced environment of the operating room, learning to assist with procedures smoothly, while ensuring patient safety and comfort.
Their mentors played a pivotal role, guiding them through assisting in intricate surgeries
and instilling confidence and wisdom that shaped their professional growth. Abigail and Briana’s dedication and perseverance paid off, allowing them to complete the program ahead of schedule and getting promoted to certified surgical technologists at Aspire Rural Health Systems.
FHN Uses MedCerts To Build Medical Assistant Apprentice Program
Karen Kryder is Operations Leader – Learning and Development at FHN, a healthcare system with 17 locations in Northwest Illinois, now a part of Mercyhealth. A few years ago, she attended an Apprenticeship Illinois Committee meeting and walked away convinced that apprenticeship was a great model to both manage labor issues and better serve students and the community. Teaming up with MedCerts Partner Solutions and Workforce Connections, a Northern Illinois resource for workforce development, Karen created an apprenticeship for medical assistants at FHN.
With Workforce Connections able to secure funding from the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program, MedCerts providing the online curriculum and support, and FHN providing in-person, hands-on training and mentorship, the program, while small, quickly gained momentum. It grew solely through word-of-mouth with graduates recommending participation to others.
Explains Kryder, “The apprenticeship program is so great because it is really one of the best ways to help people find a career they are passionate about in healthcare. It helps them advance in those careers, and is ultimately a better way to serve the community and patients and those students.”
Henry Ford Health Offers A Variety Of Allied Health Apprentice Programs Through MedCerts
Operating 5 hospitals in Detroit and Jackson, Henry Ford Health (HFH) is the biggest healthcare provider in Michigan, serving the community for 111 years. In recent years, filling entry-level positions had become a challenge at HFH, which Catherine Susko, who is Vice President of HR Planning, Development & Belonging, looked at the apprenticeship model to address.
As was the case with Aspire Rural Health Systems, HFH decided to team up with MedCerts Partner Solutions and MichiganWorks! to create an apprenticeship program, offered for a variety of in-need positions, including medical assistants, sterile processing technicians and pharmacy technicians. MedCerts provided the 24/7 on-demand online training, while MichiganWorks! secured registered apprenticeship funding via the Department of Labor, so the program could be offered at no cost to learners.
A key benefit for HFH in working with MedCerts is that their programs can be completed at the student’s own pace, opening up the opportunity to lower income applicants who otherwise wouldn’t be able to consider apprenticeships. An additional advantage is MedCerts programs take months, not years, to complete, getting students fully job-ready faster.
According to Susko, the experience, which includes a lot of hands-on training and mentorship, is well worth it from her perspective. “While the program is labor-intensive for our team, it is also the most rewarding project I get to work on.”
Conclusion
Registered apprenticeships are an opportunity that equally benefits employers and potential employees. For healthcare providers, they’re an often subsidized way to train and fill high-demand positions and address staffing challenges. For learners, it’s an invitation into a new career that they otherwise might not have access to. Celebrate National Apprenticeship Week with us, and explore how apprenticeships are an ever-growing way for your organization to build a better, stronger workforce.
Want more information about how MedCerts Partner Solutions can help start or expand an apprenticeship program at your facility? Contact us at [email protected] to learn more!
