Governor Wolf: Expansion of Nurse Apprenticeship Will Help People Needing Home Health Care in Pennsylvania

State Agencies to hold press conference at 1:30 PM today, BAYADA, 2500 York Road, Jamison, PA 18929.

Continuing his commitment to expand home health care and address the nursing shortage, Governor Tom Wolf today announced a significant expansion of BAYADA's Nurse Residency apprenticeship program to help adults and children who need home health care in Pennsylvania.

"Many of us have known someone who has received in-home nursing service in the comfort of their own home and agree that the most qualified individuals are needed to serve our loved ones' health care needs," said Gov. Wolf. "As the demand for skilled in-home nurses continues, apprenticeship opportunities like these are even more crucial to help address this shortage. My administration is pleased to support BAYADA as they expand their apprenticeship program, create new career paths for nurses, and serve more people in communities across the commonwealth."

Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Meg Snead and Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Director of Workforce Development Initiatives Gwen Ross will hold a press conference with BAYADA at 1:30 PM today at 2500 York Road, Jamison, PA 18929.

BAYADA's Jamison, Bucks County, location will use $297,000 in Pre-Apprentice and Apprenticeship Grant Program funding to expand its Nurse Residency apprenticeship program.

"Pennsylvania's homecare workforce plays an essential role in the lives of seniors, adults, and children across the commonwealth who need and deserve dedicated, compassionate care every day. This apprenticeship program is an investment in both the quality of care for Pennsylvanians who use this care every day and people who choose home care as a career path that allows them to serve others," said Acting Secretary Snead.

With a high demand for home care setting nurses everywhere, BAYADA will use the grant to expand its talent pool to recent Licensed Practical Nurse and Registered Nurse graduates, who would otherwise not yet meet BAYADA's hiring requirements for prior work experience. The project will replicate and expand BAYADA's Nurse Residency apprenticeship program (NRP), in partnership with corresponding local workforce development boards, into several counties across the commonwealth including Allegheny, Bucks, Delaware, Indiana, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton and Philadelphia.

"Investing in apprenticeship training and ensuring it is accessible for job seekers throughout the state is vital as we move forward in pandemic recovery," said Ross. "We are thrilled to announce BAYADA's expanded apprenticeship training opportunities as they build a skilled and ready workforce to serve individuals' health care needs at home."

Through the NRP, BAYADA's mission is to provide clinical support and consistent, high-quality on-the-job training for apprentices. The funding will enable increased attraction, induction, and prepare a socioeconomically and ethnoracially diverse group of 90 nurses over three years, bringing employees into a structured career ladder that culminates in living wages, middle-skill careers, and industry-recognized credentials.

"As a home health care provider, we are acutely impacted by the ongoing, nationwide nursing shortage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic," said BAYADA Skilled Nursing Practice President Cris Toscano. "Funding from DCED will serve as an important scale-up investment in the state's nursing workforce and will ultimately lead to our ability to care for more Pennsylvania residents in the comfort of their own homes, where they want to be."

The Pre-Apprentice and Apprenticeship Program works to increase apprenticeship availability to Pennsylvania employers to assist them with their talent recruitment and development. Funding is provided to eligible applicants for the purpose of reaching the goal of increasing apprenticeship accessibility across the state. Eligible uses of funds include expenses related to instruction that complements on-the-job learning.

To learn more about Pennsylvania's Pre-Apprentice and Apprenticeship Program, visit the DCED website. To learn more about BAYADA's Nurse Residency Program, email [email protected] or visit BAYADA's website.

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