CHW Registered Apprenticeship Opportunity
Overview
The Community Health Worker Collaborative of South Dakota (CHWSD) has worked with the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation (SD DLR) to sponsor a CHW Registered Apprenticeship Program for South Dakota.
CHW Definition
A Community Health Worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/ or has an unusually close understanding of the community served.
This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/ social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
– American Public Health Association, 2025
Apprenticeship Requirements and Supervision
The apprenticeship is approximately 1 year(s) with an attainment of 2,000-2,200 hours supplemented by the minimum required 240 hours of related instruction (200 hours of training and 40 hours of job shadowing) through an approved CHW training program in South Dakota.
The CHW apprentice will work with a journey worker within their organization to complete their apprenticeship.
Scope of Work for CHWs
- Health system navigation and resource coordination
- Health promotion and coaching
- Health education
The CHW is embedded within the community and serves as teh connector between the community, social services, and health services.
Examples of CHW Roles
- Work with a patient to arrange for transportation to their medical appointment and to coordinate delivery of their pharmacy prescriptions
- Assist a food-insecure patient in obtaining food specific to their diabetes diagnosis
- Provide health promotion and coaching to assist a patient with heart disease in quitting tobacco use
Covered Costs of the Apprenticeship Program
The SD DLR CHW Registered Apprenticeship Program will cover the cost of the approved CHW training program tuition and related textbooks, as well as a small stipend throughout the year for each registered apprentice and journey worker.
Becoming a Business Sponsor
Organizations interested in becoming a business sponsor (an organization to establish and apprenticeship program, including, but not limited to, medical/clinical organizations, community-based organizations, and other organizations seeking to employ CHWs) can contact the CHWSD’s Executive Director Ben Tiensvold at ben@chwsd.org for more information and to schedule an initial consultation.
Overview
The Community Health Worker Collaborative of South Dakota (CHWSD) has worked with the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation (SD DLR) to sponsor a CHW Registered Apprenticeship Program for South Dakota.
CHW Definition
A Community Health Worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/ or has an unusually close understanding of the community served.
This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/ social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
– American Public Health Association, 2025
Apprenticeship Requirements and Supervision
The apprenticeship is approximately 1 year(s) with an attainment of 2,000-2,200 hours supplemented by the minimum required 240 hours of related instruction (200 hours of training and 40 hours of job shadowing) through an approved CHW training program in South Dakota.
The CHW apprentice will work with a journey worker within their organization to complete their apprenticeship.
Scope of Work for CHWs
- Health system navigation and resource coordination
- Health promotion and coaching
- Health education
The CHW is embedded within the community and serves as teh connector between the community, social services, and health services.
Examples of CHW Roles
- Work with a patient to arrange for transportation to their medical appointment and to coordinate delivery of their pharmacy prescriptions
- Assist a food-insecure patient in obtaining food specific to their diabetes diagnosis
- Provide health promotion and coaching to assist a patient with heart disease in quitting tobacco use
Covered Costs of the Apprenticeship Program
The SD DLR CHW Registered Apprenticeship Program will cover the cost of the approved CHW training program tuition and related textbooks, as well as a small stipend throughout the year for each registered apprentice and journey worker.
Becoming a Business Sponsor
Organizations interested in becoming a business sponsor (an organization to establish and apprenticeship program, including, but not limited to, medical/clinical organizations, community-based organizations, and other organizations seeking to employ CHWs) can contact the CHWSD’s Executive Director Ben Tiensvold at ben@chwsd.org for more information and to schedule an initial consultation.
For additional information visit https://starttodaysd.com.