- New CV tech apprenticeship in Maryland
- AI-powered biomedical research program
- Bill would create grants for digital skills training
New CV tech apprenticeship in Maryland
Maryland’s Howard Community College (HCC) and MedStar Health are launching a new cardiovascular technician (CV tech) registered apprenticeship program in January. HCC says it will be the first community college in the country and the first institution in Maryland to sponsor a CV tech apprenticeship.
The new program, which aims to train 15 apprentices, builds on the partnership’s previous programs, in particular the surgical technician registered apprenticeship program.
In the new program, apprentices will receive full tuition, fees and books paid by MedStar Health and earn a salary as full-time employees, while pursuing their studies at HCC, according to a release. Upon completion of the 18-24 month program, apprentices will earn an invasive cardiovascular technology certification.
“With this newest occupation approved, HCC now offers the most nontraditional registered apprenticeship programs of any sponsor in the state — demonstrating its leadership and commitment to creating real opportunities for people and addressing urgent workforce shortages,” Maryland Secretary of Labor Portia Wu said in a statement.
AI-powered biomedical research program
Los Angeles Pierce College is the first community college in the country to launch an AI-powered biomedical research program through a partnership with National AI Campus.
The newly launched L.A. Pierce AI Campus gives undergraduate students direct access to advanced machine learning tools and real-world medical datasets, bringing graduate-level research experiences to a new population of learners, according to the college.
“This is a transformative opportunity for our students to contribute to the future of AI in healthcare and they’re rising to the challenge,” said Donna-Mae Villanueva, dean of academic affairs for math and science at Pierce College.
This fall, two interdisciplinary student teams are working with faculty coaches, co-coaches and shadow mentors from diverse STEM and health science disciplines. The teams will apply artificial intelligence methods to complex biomedical challenges.
The first project focuses on using AI to predict survival for breast cancer patients. Students are using de-identified clinical data from national cancer registries to train machine learning models that predict patient survival outcomes.
The second project uses AI to develop genomic patterns for disease. Students are learning to identify additive and interactive effects in genomic patterns using AI classification models.
Bill would create grants for digital skills training
A bipartisan, bicameral bill reintroduced last week would create new workforce digital skills grants.
Lawmakers leading the measure — Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Virginia) and Rep. David Valadao (R-California) — want to include the bill in the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to create new Digital Skills at Work grants administered by the Department of Labor.
Existing programs to help job-seekers access employment and support services under WIOA cannot use federal resources for digital skills training, according to a release from Kaine’s office. As a result, workforce development career centers don’t offer any digital skills training opportunities.
The bill addresses the critical need for digital skills training highlighted by National Skills Coalition, which helped to craft the text. Its research indicates that 92% of jobs require digital skills, yet only two-thirds of workers have foundational digital skills. The divide disproportionately affects people of color, low-income people, residents of rural areas and other communities, the coalition said in a release.
