Institute for Advanced Learning and Research
Driving Economic Transformation
Attention employers, educators community leaders and anyone interested in the growth of Registered Apprenticeship! Join us for the Expanding Talent through Registered Apprenticeship (ExTRA) Awards breakfast on Nov. 25! The event will include:
The registration deadline is Nov. 18.
The Franklin County Department of Public Safety, in collaboration with The Franklin Center, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Carilion, Ferrum College and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), is proud to announce the introduction of the first and only Paramedic Registered Apprenticeship Program in the state of Virginia.
The launch of this groundbreaking initiative was marked by a Paramedic Apprentice Signing Day Ceremony on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. This program is designed to elevate the standards of paramedic services in Franklin County and create a robust pathway for aspiring paramedics.
By partnering with esteemed institutions like VCU Health, Carilion, and Ferrum College, Franklin County is spearheading a novel approach to paramedic training. The program will offer apprentices the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the Franklin County Department of Public Safety while completing 4,000 hours of paid on-the-job training and more than 280 hours of related technical instruction. This comprehensive training regimen is aimed at achieving national certification and acquiring additional related credentials.
“Through IALR’s Expanding Talent through Registered Apprenticeship (ExTRA) program, we are thrilled to have supported this new apprenticeship opportunity,” said Natori Neal, Apprenticeship Coordinator II for IALR, which, as an intermediary for the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement, helped initiate and complete the registration with the state apprenticeship agency. “This program serves as a powerful precedent for expanding apprenticeship opportunities across diverse healthcare professions.”
The Paramedic Apprenticeship Program is set to bolster Franklin County’s paramedic workforce by providing tailored training programs that cater to the county’s specific needs. Moreover, apprentices will have the opportunity to earn wages while undergoing training, fostering an internal workforce pipeline and reducing reliance on external recruitment.
“The Paramedic Program is such an asset for Franklin County citizens. It provides an excellent career with great benefits and fills the need for more paramedics,” acknowledged Kathy Hodges, Executive Director of the Franklin Center. “I want to especially thank our team who brought this dream to reality: Franklin County Public Safety, Carilion, Ferrum College, and VCU Health. Franklin County’s Paramedic Program is honored to offer the first Paramedic Apprenticeship in the Commonwealth.”
Dr. Mirta Martin, President of Ferrum College, added, “As the College of Opportunity of Virginia, Ferrum College is proud to partner with our communities to provide the educated workforce industry seeks.”
“This collaborative effort has been a delight to observe from concept to delivery. We are grateful for this team and look forward to developing additional programs to support emergency services in the coming months,” said Dr. Jason Powell, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Innovation and Research Officer at Ferrum College.
Two apprentices started the sonography apprenticeship with Sovah Health in January 2021. Macy McBride and Kelsey Moore were both previously registered X-ray technicians, employed through Sovah Health for the past 5-6 years. They began the program in hopes of learning and growing in their professional career.
“We were grateful for the experience and the opportunity to learn and grow as individuals as we continued our education,” said McBride and Moore. “The apprenticeship made it possible for us to achieve our goals of becoming sonographers. We would advocate future apprenticeships for any student wanting to further their education while completing on-the-job training as well as formal classroom training. To us and to all future students, the benefits of an apprenticeship are well worth it.”
Both have now completed all the apprenticeship requirements, including the instructional program, on-the-job training and board exams. They remain employed with Sovah Health but now also as registered sonographers. Their plans moving forward are to continue to grow as sonographers by studying and taking their vascular as well as their OB/GYN board exams.
In October 2020, Sovah Health-Danville and IALR launched a sonography training program, the first of its kind in Southern Virginia, to fill a regional workforce shortage for registered sonographers. The accelerated 12-month certificate program will help develop and retain regional talent and meet local health care employers’ recruitment needs for this critical occupation.
Sovah Sonography Program Director Elaine Nichols demonstrates ultrasound techniques to Emily Van Pelt, Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (TRRC) Grants Specialist. The start-up training for the program was funded by TRRC.
In partnership with IALR, Daniel Builders, LLC, a commercial and industrial construction services company, has signed its first carpentry apprentice, Ulises Jimenez. The carpentry apprenticeship is a four-year program, or 8,000 hours. The technical instruction occurs during the first two years, which is what Jimenez is currently obtaining for two nights a week at the Virginia Technical Institute in Altavista. The last two years of the apprenticeship will consist of on-the-job training and mentoring by professionals.
After successful completion of his carpentry apprenticeship, Jimenez will receive a Journeyworker’s Credential which includes a Completion Certificate and a Journeyworker’s card. The Journeyworker’s credential is a portable national credential that demonstrates that a worker has mastered the skills and competencies required for an occupation. Journeyworkers are also qualified to train and mentor apprentices.
Jimenez graduated from George Washington High School in 2013. After graduation, he was working in his family’s restaurant business but was not completely satisfied. When the COVID-19 pandemic took place, he decided it was time to try something new, which is what led him to the program.
IALR’s apprenticeship program is a facet of the ExperienceWorks framework which facilitates employer outreach and development of registered apprenticeship positions in partnership with regional employers and the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.
(L-R) First row: John Daniel (Daniel Builders, LLC), Ulises Jimenez, David Sage (Virginia Technical Institute); second row: Natori Neal (IALR), Kara Joyce (Virginia Department of Labor and Industry), and Dr. Julie Brown (IALR) participate in a signing ceremony.
