Work-based Learning Apprenticeship Handbook

Organizations making up the mental health and substance use (MH/SU) care and treatment workforce continue to feel the effects of the workforce crisis that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and has grown to be a prominent public health issue. One survey suggests that 83% of MH/SU care and treatment workers are concerned that not enough new workers are entering the field (National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 2023).

People want and need access to MH/SU care, but they also want care rooted in cultural humility, from providers who understand how their unique circumstances and identities are impacting their health. While conversations of diversity can often center on race, diversity goes far beyond just race to include other identities, such as gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, language and more.

The Work-based Learning Handbook: Understanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs and Other Workforce Development Strategies is primarily a tool for provider organizations planning to implement a registered apprenticeship program (RAP) or non-RAP work-based learning program (WBLP). However, if you are a non-provider hoping to partner with a provider organization to implement one of these programs, this handbook will provide helpful insight.

National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s Apprenticeship Program Capacity Building project

In 2023, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing launched its Apprenticeship Program Capacity Building project. The focus of this initiative was to better understand WBLPs, including apprenticeships, and their relationship to the MH/SU care and treatment workforce crisis. To learn more, read the The Landscape of Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning Programs: Initial Findings Report.