Trilogy’s Apprentices say “This is more than ‘just a job'”

May 5, 2020 / Care

Workforce development is critical in senior care. With hiring and retaining top of mind for most CEOs, we conducted a study of the Apprenticeship training program. This is a program sponsored by Trilogy Foundation in partnership with their states (e.g. Kentucky, Ohio) and institutions of higher education (e.g. Purdue). The question at hand was whether investments in training and career growth leads to higher employee engagement.

Methodology
Provided with the database of over 5,000 Apprentices from July 2019 to May 2020, we mapped in individual Trust Index survey responses and aggregated the findings. We found a 77% match at the individual level. In particular, we focused on these Great Place to Work Trust Index statements:
People here are willing to give extra to get the job done.
I am offered training or development to further myself professionally.
My work has special meaning: this is not “just a job.”
People look forward to coming to work here.
People are encouraged to balance their work life and their personal life.
I want to work here for a long time.
We have special and unique benefits here.
I would strongly endorse my company to friends and family as a great place to work.
Taking everything into account, I would say this is a great place to work.

Findings
Our primary set of findings revolve around certain types of apprentices. In particular, apprentices who self select into training tracks such as Qualified Medication specialists, preceptors (to teach and mentor others) and geriatric nursing assistant reported higher levels of engagement on nearly all the statements. Notably, graduated apprentices reported even higher levels of engagement. Furthermore, Dietary workers who were given opportunity and enrolled in training tracks reported much higher engagement levels than those team members who did not enroll or graduate from the apprenticeship program.

Interestingly, having responsibilities at home (e.g., caring for children and/or elders) did not seem to increase or decrease the likelihood of enrolling in a program, nor did it negatively affect engagement. Likely, shifts generally did not either; one exception is that nighttime shift staff members who did not enroll in the apprenticeship program seem to be more engaged; this may be a positive selection bias of the type of individuals who choose to work the tiring “graveyard” shifts.

We will continue to share findings as our research team conducts more in-depth analytics.