mentorships and grants the perfect combination to create career pathways

Mentorships & Grants

The Perfect Combination to Create Career Pathways

by gail matillo FSLA is working to solve the talent gap in health care with registered apprenticeships and strategic public/private partner collaborations.

Long gone are the days when you could hire someone and immediately put them to work as a direct care staff in your community. Today, senior living providers must look outside the box for opportunities to recruit and retain staff as Florida’s senior population continues to increase. This increase in population is a good problem to have… or is it? It may be good for the industry in the long run, but right now it is causing significant staffing demands on communities, not to mention creating competition among providers.

This staffing crisis has led to the creation of the Florida Registered Apprenticeship Program, a collaboration between the Florida Senior Living Institute (FSLI), TruMont and CareerSource Florida. The program not only provides complimentary training for staff to advance their careers, but it also provides communities with recruitment and retention skills as well as the training tools for current and new staff members.

Apprenticeships are a time-tested approach to training and developing skilled labor, creating training solutions, improving productivity and profitability, and reducing turnover. According to a 2017 Harvard Business Review article, one of the leading factors contributing to turnover is allowing workers to stagnate in their current role. Workers who don’t see a clear progression from their current role to a better position in their company ultimately turn to opportunities elsewhere.

Why wouldn’t communities jump on this opportunity? Just think about it. You have the power to change lives by making positive changes and creating career paths. By advancing staff through positions on a regular progression over time, employers can help boost career opportunities and create a retention base for years to come. Just recently, I met a young person whose dream is to become a nurse and work in senior living. She lives on her own, so attending nursing school during the day is out of the question because she needs a job to pay rent. She applied to nursing school but was told that they did not have any evening classes and the school was only accepting a few new students. So, should she give up on her future because she can’t get into a traditional nursing school?

The apprenticeship program is a perfect solution because she can work and learn at the same time. She may even decide to continue her training with an LPN or RN apprenticeship. She would also have the opportunity to earn wage increases or other meritbased incentives through the CNA apprenticeship program which, once she passes her exam, will certify her as a registered CNA.

gail matillo, mpa

President/CEO Florida Senior Living Association

FSLI partnered with TruMont and received a grant last year and again this year to provide training for staff to become certified nursing assistants. The program teaches more than just the basics; it also teaches soft skills, leadership skills and communication skills that are necessary to succeed in today’s world. The program can be completed at the student’s own pace, but students will have higher rates of success if they spend at least a few hours studying the program every day. The training is online and versatile, so participants can even study from their phone. Plus, while they’re learning, they’re also working in your community. Now, that sounds like a win-win.

This year, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the state’s annual budget that included $500,000 for FSLI to help our members train CNAs in their communities. What a great opportunity to provide training, support and wrap-around services for staff working toward a career in healthcare. Working collaboratively with TruMont and the CareerSource Florida network, this program will provide hundreds of jobs throughout the state, helping fill the need for skilled health care talent to serve our aging populations. In addition to training resources, the program has a much-applauded mentorship initiative, designed to bring value not only to the apprentices, but also to the senior staff members in mentor roles. These experienced employees will have the opportunity to help someone advance in their career, earning the pride and recognition afforded them by their personal investment. And while it does take some time to mentor an apprentice and show them how to become a good employee, the investment is worth it and will pay off in the long run. Don’t let this incredible opportunity pass by without taking advantage of it for your communities and your staff members – both current and future. We must be proactive, creative and tenacious if we are going to truly solve the staffing crisis and implement sustainable solutions.

Florida Senior Living Institute (FSLI), the educational branch of FSLA is quickly expanding to help provide your community’s educational needs. FSLI will be reaching out to you in the near future to register your staff for this valuable program and other staff training opportunities. For more information on how to start this apprenticeship program in your communities, please contact Meredith Van Valkenburgh at meredith@floridaseniorliving.org.