Editor’s note: Per the SSM Health website, applications are being accepted at St. Mary’s Hospital/Janesville for Apprentice Nurse Aides who have successfully completed nurse aide training and the exam. There also are openings for Apprentice Medical Assistants in Family Medicine in Janesville; these positions do not appear to require nurse aide training.
Students will earn as they learn necessary skills for a variety of health care careers
SSM Health is recruiting high school students for a paid apprenticeship program across its hospitals and clinics in Wisconsin that will offer valuable hands-on experiences while providing a pathway to rewarding careers in health care.
The Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program offers high school juniors and seniors enrolled in related courses industry-recognized completion certificates for their work in one of eight health care career areas, which include:
| Medical Assistant | Medical Office Assistant | Phlebotomy Assistant |
| Medical Imaging Assistant | Nursing Assistant | Physical Therapy Aide |
| Medical Lab Assistant | Pharmacy Assistant |
“Health care offers many rewarding career paths, and we are delighted to welcome these young people into our hospitals and clinics to experience these important roles for themselves as we seek to help train a new generation of exceptional caregivers in the communities we are privileged to serve,” says program coordinator, Sandy Riley.
Those selected for the one-year program are required to work 450 hours and can elect to begin their apprenticeship in the summer or at the start of their fall semester. SSM Health hopes to interest 50 students to apprentice throughout the 2024-2025 school year within its care teams throughout its hospitals and clinics in Wisconsin.
Interested students and their parents can learn more about the available apprenticeships and apply online at the SSM Health Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program page.
The apprenticeship program is led by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and is offered in collaboration with: the Dane County School Consortium in Greater Madison, Southwest WI Workforce Development Board, Inc. in Green/Rock Counties and the Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA 3) in Iowa County, (CESA 5) in Sauk County and (CESA 6) in Greater Fond du Lac, as well as a host of area high schools.
Editor’s note: The Whitewater Banner reached out to SSM Health to confirm that Whitewater High School students are eligible to participate. The short answer is that they are welcome to apply, as are students at Fort Atkinson and Elkhorn Area high schools, as well as home school students. The long answer from Sandy Riley of SSM is as follows:
“The Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program has been in existence in Wisconsin since 1991 (to clarify). Ours was the first state to implement YA and it has been adopted by many other states across the U.S.. YA in Wisconsin operates through partnerships between high schools, consortia partners, employers, DWD, parents, and of course students.
Some schools work with a consortia partner who serve as a liaison between employers and schools. Other high schools operate the program independent of a consortia partner. The vast majority of high schools participate in YA. In addition, students completing a home school program may also qualify.
To find out more about specific school districts, visit https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/apprenticeship/contacts.htm#youthApprenticeshipConsortiums and search by school district to find the contact information for each school’s YA Coordinator. All three schools above [Whitewater, Fort Atkinson, and Elkhorn] are listed on the DWD site. Alternatively, this page also has a clickable button labeled “See Consortium Info” which will link to the consortium partner that supports the program in each region. They are wonderful subject matter experts and are often a bit easier to connect with, particularly during the summer.
Finally, a simple email or call to the Department of Workforce Development YA contact is also an option: ya@dwd.wisconsin.gov or 608-733-3930. If a school does not participate and there is no consortium partner, DWD would be the best information source.
