Some states are looking at developing career pathway programs as a strategy to address or mitigate workforce shortages in long-term care, according to a recent report from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The report, “Leveraging Career Pathway Programs: State Strategies to Combat Health Care Workforce Shortages,” describes programs across various stages of education designed to prepare individuals for the next level of employment, certification or educational level. Although focused on healthcare broadly, the report highlights a variety of initiatives relevant to the direct care workforce need of long-term care providers, such as career pathway programs designed to help certified nursing assistants and home care aides become licensed practical nurses.
“The demand for health workers is expected to continue rising faster than the supply and states are examining their role in bolstering and strengthening the health workforce,” the report noted. “Career pathway programs are designed to prepare individuals for the next level of employment, certification or educational level.”
By 2040, long-term care settings will have 20 million job openings — 3 million of those alone in senior living — escalating the need to recruit and retain workers, according to a report released by Argentum earlier this year.
Although some employers have developed their own in-house training programs, particularly for CNA certification, more can be done at the state level to prepare individuals for the next level of employment, certification or educational level, according to the report. Career pathway programs can actually be implemented at any stage of education, even in elementary school, the NCSL report said.
“These programs often consist of partnerships between education systems, public and private sector employers, and community-based organizations. While designs vary, most programs provide some support to students through career or academic mentorship, apprenticeships, financial support, training programs, scholarships, networking opportunities and more,” according to the report.
State legislatures can help create and develop successful career pathway programs through existing state offices or state education institutions, forging partnerships with key stakeholders to ensure that pathway programs align well with workforce needs, leveraging or pursuing federal funding to help build these programs and establishing grants that allocate funding to new or existing recruitment and retention programs, NCSL said.
Good Jobs Hawaii is one example of state-sponsored investment in the direct care workforce. Operated through the University of Hawaii Community Colleges, the program is designed to help local residents qualify for high-quality jobs and careers while helping employers meet their demands for skilled, local workforces. The initiative is building on Oahu Back to Work and Hana Career Pathways, which have provided free skills training for more than 4,000 local residents since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is primarily funded through a federal grant from the US Economic Development Administration and the city and county of Honolulu, among other sources.
And at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa, students can enroll in their state-approved “ladder program” in nursing, where they can start on the path to becoming LPNs or work toward climbing the “ladder” from LPN to earning an associate’s degree in nursing.
Career pathway programs can benefit nontraditional students who might be looking for a career change, the report noted.
“Creating pathway programs for nontraditional students may look a little differently than their traditional counterparts as these students face a unique set of challenges. They include work/caregiving responsibilities during the day, lack of reliable transportation, no childcare, lack of educational literacy and cost,” NCSL said.
Therefore, the authors said, states might want to include supports such as evening courses, accelerated courses, stipends for outside needs such as childcare or transportation, and scholarships.
“Legislators and state agencies play an important role in creating, crafting and funding career pathway programs to create a future pipeline of healthcare workers. States have great flexibility in choosing what professions to target and how they would like to target them,” NCSL concluded.
