Representatives from Columbus County’s public education and healthcare sectors are all smiles after signing Southeastern Community College’s first apprenticeship agreement, designed to train and retain medical laboratory technicians locally. From left to right: Jonathan Williams, Columbus County Schools assistant superintendent; Marc Whichard, Whiteville City Schools superintendent; Chris English, Southeastern Community College president; and Jason Beck, Columbus Regional Healthcare System CEO. Staff photo by Joseph Williams
Representatives from Columbus County’s public education and healthcare sectors are all smiles after signing Southeastern Community College’s first apprenticeship agreement, designed to train and retain medical laboratory technicians locally. From left to right: Jonathan Williams, Columbus County Schools assistant superintendent; Marc Whichard, Whiteville City Schools superintendent; Chris English, Southeastern Community College president; and Jason Beck, Columbus Regional Healthcare System CEO. Staff photo by Joseph Williams
Leaders in Columbus County’s public education and healthcare sectors signed an apprenticeship agreement Monday allowing students to do paid hospital work while obtaining their degree.
The program’s goal is to encourage locally trained students to stay and work here in the medical field after finishing their education.
"We want to be the employer of choice for our talent,” said Columbus Regional Healthcare System CEO Jason Beck at the signing ceremony held at Southeastern Community College. “The last thing we want," he said, "is our talent leaving our community and going elsewhere."
Both the apprenticeship agreement — the first of its kind at the community college — and the partnership that undergirds it are “crucial,” says SCC President Chris English, “to how we see Columbus County moving forward.”
With an increasingly aged population adding "stress" to the healthcare system nationwide as well as within the county, English said that more qualified personnel will be needed to address the “shortfall” in hospital staffing.
Whiteville City Schools Superintendent Marc Whichard hailed the agreement as a testament to the partnerships among the school systems, community college and hospital. Columbus County Schools Associate Superintendent Jonathan Williams agreed, saying that, "Some great things are happening because of the communication” between the parties involved.
The agreement is intended to spur the training and local employment of medical laboratory technicians (MLTs), who are “the behind-the-scenes, unsung heroes” of the healthcare industry, according to Kimberly Fine, SCC’s dean of healthcare and public safety training.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, MLTs "collect samples and perform tests to analyze body fluids, tissue and other substances." And their impact is felt far and wide. "If you've gotten your blood drawn" at a hospital, Fine explained, "then that blood was touched by an MLT."
In addition to MLT, a pre-apprenticeship application on SCC’s website allows students to express their interest in pharmacy technician and clinical medical assistant careers.
Students participating in the apprenticeship program can qualify to have “some or most” of their tuition expenses covered, explained Antwan Pippen, consultant for ApprenticeshipNC. To fund similar opportunities across the state, ApprenticeshipNC received $12 million from the General Assembly, Pippen said.
Participating students will work as lab assistants at Columbus Regional while pursuing their degree, according to a Facebook post from SCC.
English said Monday that apprenticeship programs such as these can help with hiring and retention of employees.
Those interested in applying to the apprenticeship can find more information on the SCC website, sccnc.edu.
