Regional Partners Celebrate Medical Talent Pipeline Partnership

For Immediate Release

Educators, healthcare leaders, and workforce partners will gather at Muskegon Community College (MCC) on May 13, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. for “Race to Talent,” an informational session highlighting the growing impact of the Medical Assistant Registered Apprenticeship Program (MARAP).

The event will spotlight how collaboration between Trinity Health, University of Michigan Health-West, Muskegon Community College, and West Michigan Works! is creating new pathways into healthcare careers while addressing workforce shortages across the region.

MAPRP blends hands-on clinical training with classroom instruction and cohort-based support, helping participants launch sustainable careers as medical assistants. Attendees will hear directly from employers and apprentices, explore how community colleges play a key role in training talent, and learn how organizations can engage in apprenticeship-based workforce development.

“WMW empowers employers and educators to build strong healthcare talent pipelines,” said Joel Elsenbroek, apprenticeships project manager, West Michigan Works!. “Since 2015, the Medical Assistant Registered Apprenticeship Program has produced 176 graduates in West Michigan with a 73% completion rate—offering earn while you learn pathways that require little-to-no student debt and create clear advancement opportunities into roles like LPN and RN.”

The Race to Talent event will include a panel discussion, networking opportunities, award ceremony and insights into how apprenticeship models can strengthen talent pipelines for employers across the healthcare sector.

“Through our partnership with Trinity Health, University of Michigan Health-West and West Michigan Works!, MCC is helping lead the way in preparing incredibly talented Medical Assistants for the Lakeshore and beyond,” said MCC’s Dean of Nursing and Health Programs, Lisa Gatti-Arnold. “This collaboration is not only opening doors for students, but also helping address the urgent need for skilled professionals amid the post-pandemic healthcare worker shortage.”