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Concord Hospital partners with ApprenticeshipNH and NH community colleges to train LNAs

Concord Hospital partnership

To help address their demand for licensed nursing assistants (LNAs), Concord Hospital has entered into a partnership with ApprenticeshipNH and two New Hampshire community colleges to hire and train individuals to fill these essential healthcare positions. Following the “earn while you learn” model, individuals will be hired by the hospital and then go through a structured classroom training that will prepare them to work as LNAs. The instruction is offered through a unique partnership between NHTI and Manchester Community College (MCC), with MCC offering the instruction while NHTI will serve as a local training site for the program.

Concord Hospital is currently recruiting its first class of eight students. They will begin their classwork in February 2021 and need to apply by January 5, 2021. The program includes five weeks of full-time instruction, both online and in-person training, with 60 hours of WorkReadyNH soft skills training, 60 hours of online theory, 24 hours of lab work and 60 hours of clinical practicum at Concord Hospital. The hospital will pay 100 percent of the tuition costs and participants will be full-time, benefitted employees from the start of the program.

“We are excited about this new partnership and look forward to welcoming this first class of apprentices in early 2021. The program is very well-suited for our needs and we are confident that it will result in enabling us to hire a group of highly trained individuals that will be able to contribute at Concord Hospital on day one,” said Kathryn McKillop, talent manager at Concord Hospital.

ApprenticeshipNH is an initiative housed at the Community College System of NH that seeks to address workforce needs in specific sectors throughout the state by creating Registered Apprenticeship opportunities within the information technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, automotive, biotechnology and infrastructure/construction sectors. The program was established in 2017 through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. To date, hundreds of individuals and dozens of companies have benefitted from the program.

“LNAs are in great demand across the state. The positions really are a gateway to a healthcare career and the ApprenticeshipNH model of bringing participants in as employees and combining highly structured training with onsite work is an ideal way for individuals to become quickly licensed for this field. We’re excited to work with Concord Hospital to launch this program and help recruit participants,” said Emily Zeien, grant manager for ApprenticeshipNH.

The Registered Apprenticeship program at Concord Hospital also requires one year/2,000 hours of on-the-job training. On-the-job training enables apprentices to master the skills learned during instruction, with the support of a one-to-one mentor. Upon completion of the Registered Apprenticeship, participants will earn a National Occupational Credential through the Department of Labor and will be able to sit for the state certification exam and submit their LNA license application to the NH Board of Nursing. Individuals interested in participating or learning more can contact Kathryn McKillop at kmckillop@crhc.org and (603) 230-7229.

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