what’ s working
“ You don’ t have to go to a four-year college to find a great career that pays your bills and keeps you local.”
— Berry Zimmerman, talent acquisition manager for Aspen Power Catamarans in Burlington
To help bring that vision to life, employers are being asked to create 10,000 new work-based learning opportunities each year while remaking policies to empower small businesses to participate in cultivating the next generation of talent.
Consider Summit Pacific, a public hospital district in Grays Harbor County that is leading the way on careerconnected learning. Their innovative work-based learning model doesn’ t just benefit aspiring nurses; it creates opportunities across various fields, from hospitality to engineering. CEO Josh Martin emphasizes the pressing need for apprenticeships beyond clinical roles.
“ Half of our workforce is non-clinical,” Martin said.“ We’ re exploring apprenticeships for everything from culinary arts to accounting— because the shortage extends far beyond the hospital rooms.”
Investing in local students prepares them to be the community’ s future health care providers and caregivers.
Summit Pacific is one of the first two hospitals in Washington state to pilot a Certified Nursing Assistant program in partnership with high school students. In rural areas like Elma, this WBL health care program is shaping futures by creating a local pipeline of talent. High school students now contemplate careers where previously they saw none.
“ Nobody is coming to save us— we have to save ourselves,” said Martin.
By nurturing local talent, hospitals can invest in individuals who are already deeply rooted in their communities, reducing reliance on temporary staff who leave after a few years.
Yet the journey is not without its hurdles. Summit Pacific’ s CNA and apprenticeship programs are funded entirely by the hospital’ s resources, donations and local foundations, with no state or federal governmental funding.
“ Without state or federal support, most hospitals won’ t be able to launch these vital programs,” warns Martin. The cost of launching a program like this can reach between half a million to one million dollars— a potentially formidable fall 2025 27