Workforce Programs and Initiatives

A strong and resilient public health system is key to keeping communities healthy.

Trailhead’s Workforce Programs & Initiatives (WPI) helps grow the public health workforce through Registered Apprenticeship Programs, and supports the infrastructure needs of local public health organizations across the Rocky Mountain Region. 

We Support Pathways into Meaningful Public Health Careers

Building and sustaining a skilled workforce takes time, training, and the right support. We work alongside local public health agencies, community-based organizations, training providers, state agencies, and service commissions to prepare Colorado’s next generation of public health leaders, helping you to implement impactful workforce development strategies tailored to your workforce goals, staffing needs, and organizational capacity.

  • Special Announcement: We’re seeking public health and community-based organizations to partner and provide paid apprenticeship opportunities for job seekers who are interested in public health, behavioral health, and environmental health careers. Register for our Pathways to Impact webinar on October 22, and apply here.

What Are Registered Apprenticeship Programs?

Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) are a workforce training model that combines paid work, structured on-the-job learning, mentorship, related instruction, and a recognized credential.

How We Help Employers

We help state and local public health agencies, universities, and community-serving organizations implement Registered Apprenticeship Programs.

We provide guidance at every stage of the process, making it easier to create and host successful apprenticeship pathways within your organization so you can grow your workforce, build teams with strong public health knowledge, and expand your ability to serve your communities.

How We Help Job Seekers

We connect job seekers to apprenticeship programs that align with their career interests.

Through AmeriCorps service and Registered Apprenticeships, members earn a living wage while gaining professional mentorship, training, and hands-on experience in public, environmental, and behavioral health settings.

Explore Apprenticeship Openings
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How We Center Equity

We partner with organizations that serve historically underserved populations and help them recruit career seekers who live in and reflect the communities where they work.

This approach invests time and resources into developing a skilled and diverse public health workforce in rural, urban, and Front Range communities across Colorado. We also provide members with a living wage so people from all backgrounds can participate, build valuable skills, and pursue careers in public health without financial barriers standing in the way.

Aligning Registered Apprenticeships with AmeriCorps

We’ve worked alongside Serve Colorado and the Colorado Apprenticeship HUB  to align Registered Apprenticeship Programs with AmeriCorps service. This approach is the second program of its kind in the nation and enables AmeriCorps members to complete a community health worker or peer support specialist registered apprenticeship while serving in a variety of roles at public health agencies and community-serving organizations. 

Learn More About AmeriCorps and Apprenticeships

Public Health Apprenticeship Pathways

Trailhead offers three workforce development pathways to help employers meet their staffing goals while addressing the unique needs of their communities. These pathways include a Community Health Worker Apprenticeship, Peer Support Specialist Apprenticeship, or an integrated AmeriCorps service program.

Community Health Workers (CHWs), also known as Peer Navigators, Health Navigators, and Promotores de Salud, help individuals and communities access health and social services, navigate complex systems, and improve health outcomes. CHWs serve in a variety of settings, including local public health agencies, hospitals, community health clinics, and community-based organizations.

Through a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship, CHW apprentices build the skills needed to support their communities, developing competencies in

  • Care coordination,
  • Health education,
  • Cultural mediation,
  • Coaching and social support,
  • Community capacity building,
  • Advocacy, and
  • Community assessment.

The program also helps prepare participants to pursue Colorado Community Health Worker credentialing, supporting their pathway into a public health career.

Peer Support Specialists use their lived experience with mental health or substance use recovery to support others on their wellness and recovery journeys. Working alongside individuals with empathy, mutual respect, and understanding, Peer Support Specialists help build hope, strengthen connections to services and supports, and encourage self-directed recovery. They serve in a variety of settings, including behavioral health organizations, healthcare systems, recovery programs, and community-based organizations.

Through a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship, Peer Support Specialist apprentices build the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective peer support. Apprentices learn how to

  • Apply their lived experience in a professional role,
  • Support recovery and wellness,
  • Navigate community resources,
  • Advocate for individuals and communities, and
  • Promote person-centered care.

The program helps prepare participants to pursue The Colorado Peer and Family Specialist (CPFS) Certification and build a meaningful career supporting the health and well-being of their communities.

Colorado Public Health Works is an integrated AmeriCorps Apprenticeship program offered in partnership with Serve Colorado. This AmeriCorps Apprenticeship pathway enables members to complete a year of AmeriCorps service while enrolling in a Community Health Worker or Peer Support Specialist apprenticeship registered with U.S. Department of Labor.

Through partnerships with local public health agencies, community-based organizations, and universities, AmeriCorps Apprentices support public health initiatives in communities throughout Colorado while exploring career opportunities in public and behavioral health.

How We Help Behind the Scenes

As a Qualified Apprenticeship Intermediary, we help employers navigate every stage of apprenticeship development and implementation.

Strategic Planning

We help you build an apprenticeship strategy that supports your workforce goals and community needs.

  • Assess workforce needs and staffing priorities

  • Design apprenticeship pathways, training plans, and competencies

  • Integrate apprenticeship into workforce development strategies

  • Facilitate employer learning cohorts and peer learning opportunities

Compliance Support

We help you navigate apprenticeship requirements and maintain high-quality programs.

  • Guide you through the apprenticeship registration process

  • Coordinate related instruction requirements

  • Support apprenticeship documentation and reporting

  • Help you meet federal and state apprenticeship standards

Program Coordination

We provide programmatic support and coordinate efforts within Colorado’s apprenticeship system.

  • Recruit and onboard apprentices

  • Coordinate training partners and related instruction

  • Support program implementation and ongoing technical assistance

  • Facilitate communication and resource sharing among employers, partners, and training providers

Meet Our Current Employer Partners

Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County

Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County empower youth and support families to ensure that  success is within reach of every young person who enters their doors.

Colorado Springs School District 11

Colorado Springs School District 11 is dedicated giving children the support, skills, and confidence they need to thrive through high-quality instruction and a personalized path to success.

Denver Department of Public Health and Environment

Denver Department of Public Health and Environment works collaboratively with city, state, and community partners to conduct education, community engagement, and enforcement to ensure healthy people, healthy pets, and a healthy environment.

Driven By Our Ambitions

Driven By Our Ambitions is a culturally responsive mental health and wellness organization rooted in Aurora, Colorado. They support inner city youth, men of color, and their families by transforming traditional therapy through creative, trusted spaces like gyms, barbershops, music studios, and boxing rings.

Gunnison Country Food Pantry

Gunnison Country Food Pantry serves neighbors in need by providing food assistance and connecting them to local, state, and federal resources that promote stability, dignity, and a better quality of life.

Western Colorado University

Western Colorado University’s Master of Behavioral Science is a graduate-level behavioral science degree that emphasizes understanding human behavior through studying psychology, sociology, and related fields.

Young Aspiring Americans for Social & Political Activism

Young Aspiring Americans for Social & Political Activism addresses the challenges youth face in navigating academic and career development in the social sciences.

Why Partner With Trailhead?

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We’ve helped communities and organizations lead public health efforts for more than 30 years, and have supported important efforts to strengthen Colorado’s public health workforce through strategy, evaluation, and hands-on technical support.

We also support the infrastructure needs of local public health agencies across Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming in partnership with the Colorado Health Institute and Montana Public Health Institute through the National Network of Public Health Institute’s Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ready to Get Started?

To learn more about how we can support your workforce development goals, contact us at [email protected].