Healthcare Industry Talent Association
Join healthcare employers across Indiana in developing the talent your industry needs.
A Healthcare Talent Pipeline Built by Employers
Indiana healthcare employers are working together through the Indiana Career Apprenticeship Pathway (INCAP) to build stronger pipelines for in-demand occupations. Led by BioCrossroads, the Healthcare Industry Talent Association brings employers across the state together to identify priority occupations, define the competencies those occupations require, and help shape how participants are trained in the classroom and workplace.
All healthcare organizations are welcome to join the Healthcare ITA. Current members include healthcare providers as well as affiliate organizations that support the industry.
- Build talent for in-demand healthcare occupations
- Shape training around the competencies your workforce needs
- Develop pipelines of both high school and adult talent
Turning Employer Demand Into Programs
The Healthcare ITA brings employers together monthly to assess current and projected talent needs and identify occupations where demand is greatest. With continued growth projected across healthcare occupations, employers help make decisions about how apprenticeships are designed, including the competencies participants develop and how education and training are delivered.
- Healthcare Assistant is the first INCAP Healthcare Apprenticeship Program, launched in 2026 and continuing in 2027. At least two additional healthcare occupations are anticipated to launch in 2028.
- Don’t see the occupation your organization needs? Additional healthcare occupations are being developed based on employer workforce needs. Contact the Healthcare ITA to share your needs and help identify future INCAP occupations.
Available Now: Healthcare Assistant
Healthcare Assistant is a three-year Apprenticeship Program for students in grades 10–12 that combines structured healthcare education and training with paid, hands-on workplace experience.
The Workforce Need
Indiana healthcare employers face workforce shortages across a range of patient care occupations, with demand expected to continue growing as the population ages and the state’s healthcare needs increase. Employers also report that onboarding new healthcare workers can take months, particularly when they enter patient care settings without previous clinical experience.
Many of Indiana’s highest-demand healthcare careers are directly reflected in the Healthcare Assistant experience, including nursing, imaging, medical laboratory, respiratory therapy, and surgical technology.
The Solution
Healthcare Assistant gives students early experience across these high-demand areas while building a common foundation of healthcare knowledge and skills. Every apprentice begins with the same classroom and workplace learning, setting them up early in the program to complete the CCMA, CNA, or both certifications.
The program provides substantial time in healthcare workplaces. After completing five half-days a week at an intercompany training center during 10th grade, students spend at least three days a week at an employer site during the summer. In 11th and 12th grades, they spend three days a week at an employer site and/or intercompany training center, with at least three days a week at an employer site during the summers.
Students then rotate through a variety of healthcare departments. Every apprentice completes a nursing rotation and chooses three additional clinical rotations with their employer, which may include imaging, phlebotomy/lab, ambulatory/clinic care, and therapies. They also shadow operational and administrative departments such as human resources, accounting, revenue cycle, and IT.
The Career Pathway
In the final year, the broad exposure becomes more focused. Students spend their senior year developing deeper skills in an area that aligns both with their strengths and career goals and with their employer’s workforce needs. That could mean a full year in nursing or imaging, for example, with opportunities to earn additional stackable credentials such as EMT, Certified Surgical Technologist (CST), or Community Health Worker (CHW) certification, or pursue requirements toward becoming an LPN.
Throughout the three-year experience, students earn college credit while developing industry-identified skills, experience, and credentials — building a foundation for continued education and training in many of the same healthcare occupations Indiana employers need most.
Participating Healthcare ITA Members
Why Build Your Talent Pipeline Through INCAP?
A Shared Model Makes It Easier to Develop Talent
Developing effective training independently takes time, expertise, and resources. Through the Healthcare ITA, employers work together to define common workforce needs and create industry-specific occupations, competencies, and training plans that participating organizations can put to work.
Employers can:
- Spend less time developing training from scratch by accessing industry-specific education and training plans developed around shared employer needs
- Help reduce recruiting and onboarding costs by developing a pipeline of people who already have relevant education, workplace experience, and exposure to healthcare environments
- Shape training before talent reaches your workplace by defining the skills, competencies, and standards programs should teach
- Share the work of developing talent with other healthcare employers and education partners
- Help determine what comes next by identifying workforce needs and influencing future occupations
Build a More Reliable Healthcare Talent Pipeline
The Healthcare ITA creates a coordinated way for employers to develop people specifically for healthcare occupations. Participants gain relevant education and substantial workplace experience while learning within healthcare environments.
For employers, that means an opportunity to develop future employees around the skills their organizations need, build relationships with talent earlier, and create a more sustainable source of appropriately trained workers.
Your Role as an Employer Partner
Participate in the Healthcare ITA
Healthcare ITA members currently meet once a month for two hours, with the option to participate in person or virtually. Employers may also provide representatives for temporary working groups formed to address specific needs. Through the steering committee and working groups, participating organizations help make decisions about how healthcare apprenticeships are developed and implemented.
Provide the Workplace Experience
Employers participating in the Healthcare Assistant Apprenticeship Program hire and pay apprentices, provide meaningful workplace learning, and give students the supervision and support they need to develop on the job.
Invest in Talent Development
Participation requires both an organizational and financial commitment. Employer investment includes:
- ITA Membership: Provides access to resources and materials that support apprenticeship integration, as well as opportunities to help shape healthcare apprenticeship development statewide
- Per-Apprentice Fee: Covers apprentice training costs and services provided by regional INCAP Connectors
- Apprentice Compensation: Employers provide paid employment as students learn and contribute on the job
Contact the Healthcare ITA for current costs and to discuss what participation would look like for your organization.
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Healthcare ITA Members
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Additional Occupations Anticipated for 2028
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Employers Committed to Hosting
Hear What Participating Employers Have to Say
“We joined the Healthcare ITA because preparing the next generation of caregivers is a responsibility we share with employers and educators across Indiana. By working together, we can help students build the skills and confidence to pursue meaningful careers in healthcare while strengthening our ability to care for our communities for years to come.”
Dr. Patrick McGill, President and CEO, Community Health Network
“Through the ITA, we can connect students to meaningful career opportunities, provide hands-on learning experiences, and help develop a sustainable pipeline of future healthcare professionals for our communities. The future of healthcare depends on the talent we cultivate today, and we are proud to be part of a partnership that creates meaningful opportunities for the next generation of caregivers.”
Jasmine Mouncil, HR Student & Workforce Development Team Leader, DeaconessHealth Sytem
“Being a part of the INCAP program and working with the Healthcare ITA, it has been a collaborative effort that has enabled to have over 50 apprentices. I constantly hear from our team members how great the apprentices are doing, and we have received several comments from patients as well. We have had patients wanting to donate towards the program based upon their interactions with our apprentices.”
Michael Schroyer, MSN, MBA, RN, FACHE, AACC, President, Baptist Health Floyd
Questions About Employer Participation
Ready to Strengthen Your Talent Pipeline?
BioCrossroads leads the Healthcare Industry Talent Association. Contact the ITA to participate in the Healthcare Assistant Apprenticeship Program, learn about programs in development, or help identify and shape future INCAP healthcare occupations.
Cassie Squillace
Senior Director of Workforce Development-Healthcare, BioCrossroads