Apprenticeship degree program creates a local pathway for workers to earn degrees without student loan debt and complete certification while employed, beginning in behavioral health.
SEATTLE, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Reach University, the nation's nonprofit university advancing apprenticeship degrees, and the Training Fund, a labor-management partnership with expertise in employer-driven healthcare apprenticeship programs, today announced the launch of the nation's first Apprenticeship College of Health (ACH).
ACH is a first-of-its-kind, partnership-driven apprenticeship degree program designed to address the nation's acute shortage of job-ready, locally representative, and credentialed healthcare professionals. By turning existing healthcare jobs into affordable and locally-based education-to-career pathways, ACH will enable working adults to earn low- or no-cost, work-based degrees and progress toward state and national licensure, beginning with behavioral health.
The program will launch in the state of Washington, initially offering Reach University's existing Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies, with a focus on social science, embedded within a behavioral health apprenticeship that prepares learners for careers as substance use disorder professionals. The program is expected, subject to accreditor and state approval, to expand to additional degree pathways and healthcare fields.
"Traditional higher education must do more to ensure that a degree is worth the cost – especially for working adults," said Dr. Preston Cooper, senior research fellow, American Enterprise Institute. "Reach University is demonstrating how apprenticeship degrees can scale within the framework of accreditation while removing the greatest barriers to adult degree completion. By enabling learners to earn a salary as they progress toward a credential and career pathway, this model delivers a clearer return on investment. It has already shown strong results in teacher preparation, and I see significant promise for its expansion into healthcare."
A Behavioral Health Crisis Solution
The United States is confronting a deepening behavioral health crisis, with impacts felt across households nationwide. One in five adults lives with a mental illness, yet nearly half go without treatment. The burden falls heaviest on low-income, rural, and underserved communities. Mental health needs drive 12 percent of emergency room visits, suicide rates have risen more than 30 percent, and drug overdose is the leading cause of death for adults ages 18 to 44.
Concurrently, the demand for licensed professionals far exceeds the supply. Over the next decade, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) projects the nation will lack half of the behavioral health workforce required to meet demand by 2036.
While many behavioral health roles, such as behavioral health technicians, community health workers, and recovery coaches, are "apprenticeable," low- or no-cost, fully work-based, and degree-bearing pathways from incumbent positions to professional licensed practice have been largely absent. ACH's apprenticeship degrees offer a viable and field-proven solution to combat the growing crisis, earning the support of leading mental health philanthropies including Ballmer Group, The Goodness Web, and Accelerate the Future.
“The United States is facing a behavioral health crisis that demands urgent, scalable answers,” said Andi Smith, executive director, Washington and national behavioral health, Ballmer Group. “Our partnership with the Training Fund has demonstrated that apprenticeship pathways can rapidly build a representative, community-rooted workforce. The infusion of Reach’s national apprenticeship degrees will take this model to a new level of impact. For funders committed to addressing the nation’s mental health and substance use crisis, investing in ACH is both urgent and essential.”
Apprenticeship Degrees for Healthcare
ACH stands apart by redefining how healthcare talent is developed and retained. ACH integrates higher education directly into the workplace through an apprenticeship degree, where learning and patient care happen sequentially. Modeled after the Reach Teachers College, ACH combines real-world practice, a liberal studies degree, and a tailored social science concentration to accelerate career progression and strengthen community-based care. For employers, ACH's model shifts workforce development from short-term hiring to long-term investment, cultivating a qualified, local pipeline.
Joe E. Ross, president and CEO of Reach University, said: "We are thrilled to launch the nation's first Apprenticeship College of Health with the Training Fund. We want to pave the way for America's workplace to become its learning place, revitalizing the workforce and the American Dream. There are only a few times in life where funders, policymakers, and industry leaders can catalyze a revolution – and this is undoubtedly a catalyst event that will bring critical healthcare to every community."
With regard to the partnership, President Ross added: "Much like what we've experienced in teaching, the employers are engaged, the talent is ready, and all the pieces are in place – we're even hearing from school partners and learners eager for a behavioral health training pathway. We'll now pair the Training Fund's industry expertise with Reach's nationally recognized liberal studies programs to deliver real returns for employers and lasting opportunity for workers. The Apprenticeship College of Health will drive learner economic mobility, strengthen health systems, and build a workforce ready to save lives in every community."
ACH will initially support incumbent workers in earning a job-embedded Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies, which includes a concentration in social science that is relevant to behavioral health. Subject to WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) approval, ACH will then deploy a larger stackable undergraduate-to-graduate degree pathway, offering a suite of fully transferable degree offerings rooted in affordability, work-based learning, and professional advancement.
"What makes this partnership so powerful is the connectivity between Reach's expertise in higher education and the Training Fund's expertise in labor and industry," said Laura Hopkins, executive director, Training Fund. "To fully realize our vision for national expansion and serve every community and learner, we need sustained philanthropic investment and policy alignment, galvanizing employers to invest in a model that can transform healthcare at scale. There's a role for every leader to play. Join us."
ACH is now accepting applications for its inaugural cohort in the state of Washington. Employers and learners are invited to apply. To learn more about becoming an apprentice, hiring partner, or to support this work, please visit healthapprenticeship.org.
About Reach University
Reach University turns jobs into degrees, serving as our nation's first and only nonprofit university fully dedicated to advancing on-the-job degrees, known as Apprenticeship Degrees. By fostering economic mobility, building careers and the workforce, and inspiring deeper learning through inquiry, dialogue, collaboration, and on-the-job practice, Reach, its National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree, and partners are actively solving America's labor shortages by creating fully-embedded pathways for high-potential individuals to earn degrees, credentials, and professional careers in their home communities. Reach currently operates in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington (ACH only).
About Training Fund
The Training Fund stands on healthcare's frontlines tackling critical workforce shortages and training gaps that impact patient care every day. By uniting Washington's largest healthcare union – representing more than 23,000 workers – with the state's leading healthcare employers, it drives solutions to build a highly skilled, empowered, and representative workforce. Founded by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW in 2008, the Training Fund provides robust member education benefits, engages in impactful public policy work, and designs and delivers programs that remove barriers to career advancement. Since launching its first healthcare apprenticeship programs in 2019, the Training Fund has graduated hundreds of apprentices, spanning both allied and behavioral health, and partnered with more than 50 employers across the state. It founded the first Substance Use Disorder Professional registered apprenticeship program in the nation.
Media Inquiries:
Lauren Bauml, Reach University
(512) 923-6136, LBAUML@REACH.EDU
SOURCE Reach University
