LYNN — North Shore Community College has launched a new initiative to create pathways of success for students in healthcare programs at its Lynn and Danvers campuses through apprenticeships. 

The program follows a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Smith Family Foundation last year, which will be allocated to faculty income, student services, research, and a potential expansion into other allied health programs at the college. 

There has been a significant decrease in students joining healthcare professions following post-secondary education, which is what recent hire Alexander Cain, the Executive Director of the Apprenticeship Pathways, hopes to change. 

“You know that is our reputation throughout the New England Northeast area that we are the leader in healthcare,” Cain said. “So, I think we owe it to the community, and I think we owe it to the region to find solutions to this healthcare employee crisis, and see what we can do to fill in the gap.” 

Those gaps Cain mentioned are in healthcare specialist and nursing positions, where Massachusetts has seen vacancy rates exceeding 20%, according to a Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association report. 

The current apprenticeship pilot will focus on three of the nine medical health majors offered at NSCC: Respiratory Therapy, Medical Assisting, and Surgical Technology, which have the largest need for employees in the region, Lori Vinci, Dean of Health Professions, said. 

“The reason we went with healthcare is because being a community college, we need to serve the community… and there’s an aging population,” Vinci said. “Baby boomers are retiring; there’s a mass exodus post-COVID, particularly in healthcare, so we really want to make sure we are helping our partners with their workforces, giving them what they need.” 

On an annual basis, the NSCC sees close to 300 graduates in healthcare profession certifications and associate degrees from the more than 400 that enroll, Vinci said. 

“Free community college is great; however, it doesn’t keep the electricity on and food on the table, right?” Vinci said. “So with an apprenticeship model, they can be earning and learning.” 

The apprenticeship pathways help solidify real-world experience before the students graduate, giving them a greater chance of internal hiring at organizations the college has partnered with, Cain added. 

Cain said he wants to “not leave any stone unturned without an opportunity to see if we can build a relationship,” like with large-scale hospitals they’ve begun contracting with such as Beth Israel, Tufts, and Mass General, but also smaller local clinics. 

What drew Cain to NSCC was its outstanding reputation and unmatched passing rates for certifications and degrees that result in students graduating with industry-relevant credentials, Cain said. 

“When I saw the job posting, I turned to my wife, and I said, ‘this is exactly something I would die to do’,” Cain said. 

With a blank slate to work with, Cain has been given the go-ahead by Vinci and other health professions leaders at NSCC to “create something meaningful,” and hopefully build out the apprenticeship for all healthcare programs, Cain said. 

“That’s one thing on my drives home that I’m always thinking about, ‘what can we build out that’s gonna rock it?’ and there’s so many opportunities there,” Cain said.