Six Massachusetts community colleges are working together with employers across the state to start new apprenticeship degree programs that allow students to earn money in jobs related to their fields of study before graduation.
Several of these schools, including Bunker Hill Community College and MassBay Community College, are already enrolling students in these apprenticeship programs; North Shore Community College and Northern Essex Community College plan to launch programs this fall. There are currently about 50 students enrolled in the new degree programs; more than 200 are expected to enroll in the fall, according to the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges.
“It’s going incredibly well, and proving to be very popular amongst students,” said Nate Mackinnon, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. “This is honestly long overdue.”
William Heineman, president of North Shore Community College and chair of the Community College Council of Presidents, said the apprenticeship degrees are about earning money in the fields the students want to pursue while gaining skills and knowledge. The apprenticeships typically result in the students being offered full-time employment once their studies are completed.
The degree programs currently train licensed practical nurses, medical assistants, behavioral health technicians, and K-12 educators. The community colleges said additional programs will soon be offered in early education, cybersecurity, social work, medical laboratory technology, dental assisting, and occupations in allied health and nursing.
More than 30 employers are working with the colleges on the apprenticeships, including Mass General Brigham, Tufts Medicine, Reliant Medical Group, Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, as well as Salem and Chelsea public schools.
The initiative is funded by about $6 million in grants from the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation and Accelerate the Future, which will go toward the startup costs associated with building the programs.
The Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges also received a grant to hire a statewide apprenticeship project manager to oversee the registered apprenticeships across the state’s 15 community colleges.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey often talks about the role apprenticeships should play in the state’s workforce strategy. In January she set a goal of registering 100,000 apprentices in the next decade in fields such as health care, technology, and advanced manufacturing.
“Apprenticeships are a powerful tool,” Healey posted on X in January. “They’re paid, hands-on training opportunities that lead to great careers.”
Hilary Burns can be reached at hilary.burns@globe.com. Follow her @Hilarysburns.