Parkland College has launched its first healthcare registered apprenticeship in partnership with Gibson Area Hospital, creating a new pathway for students to become certified surgical technologists while earning income. 

The new apprenticeship program focuses on the occupation of surgical technologist and combines academic instruction with paid, hands-on clinical experience. Apprentices will spend two years at Parkland College completing an Associate in Applied Science degree in surgical technology in preparation for national certification. 

"This program represents an exciting milestone as Parkland’s first healthcare registered apprenticeship," Parkland Director of Apprenticeships Aimee Densmore said. "Gibson Area Hospital is deeply committed to growing its own workforce, and this model allows students to earn while they learn while preparing for in-demand careers that directly support patient care in our region."

To complete the apprenticeship, participants will spend an additional six months working full-time at Gibson Area Hospital, further developing their skills in a real-world healthcare setting. 

One unique feature of the program is the opportunity for apprentices to be paid during the clinical portion of their degree. This approach allows students to earn income while completing required clinical hours and fulfilling the related technical instruction for the apprenticeship. 

As a rural healthcare provider, Gibson Area Hospital is committed to delivering high-quality care while building a strong local workforce. The organization has a long-standing focus on developing talent from within, supporting individuals with limited experience, and guiding them toward careers as highly skilled healthcare professionals.

"Gibson Area Hospital is proud to be the first hospital to partner with Parkland’s apprenticeship program," Gibson Area Hospital Executive Director of Nursing Adrian Feldkamp said. "We have valued our collaboration with Parkland’s healthcare programs, and I'm especially excited to expand this partnership to the Surgical Technology program as a proud alumnus. Our hope is not only to support students through their training but to continue growing them and strengthening our team from within. My professional journey highlights the strength of Parkland’s education system and Gibson Area Hospital’s vision for internal growth, evolving from a surgical technologist to executive director of nursing."

Parkland College looks forward to expanding its apprenticeship programs and continuing to collaborate with industry leaders to create meaningful career pathways for students. Businesses in District 505 that wish to explore opportunities available within an apprenticeship program partnership may contact Densmore at adensmore@parkland.edu.

Individuals interested in applying for apprenticeship programs can learn more on Parkland College's website. News Release.

Parkland College is launching a new healthcare pre-apprenticeship program this summer, designed to prepare individuals for in-demand careers in the healthcare industry while creating a strong pipeline into registered apprenticeship and degree pathways.

The program will provide participants aged 16–24 with foundational skills, hands-on learning experiences, and career exploration opportunities in healthcare settings. Through a combination of classroom instruction and industry-informed training, students will gain the knowledge and confidence needed to pursue high-demand careers, including Surgical Technologist, Respiratory Therapist, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), and Radiologic Technologist.

Additionally, pre-apprentices will become CPR-certified, learn to take patients' vital signs, and explore the legal and ethical considerations in healthcare careers.

Participants will also receive additional support services to help them succeed, including career coaching and guidance on transitioning to further education or employment opportunities. The program is designed to reduce barriers to entry into healthcare careers while creating accessible pathways for individuals who may not yet meet traditional program requirements.

"This pre-apprenticeship is an important step in building a more inclusive and sustainable healthcare workforce," Parkland Director of Apprenticeships Aimee Densmore said. "We’re creating opportunities for individuals to gain exposure, build skills, and confidently move into career pathways that lead to high-quality jobs."

The program also reflects Parkland’s continued collaboration with regional healthcare employers to address workforce shortages and develop local talent. By aligning training with employer needs, the college ensures participants are prepared for real-world expectations and future advancement.

Upon completion, participants will be well-positioned to transition into registered apprenticeship programs or continue their education in healthcare at Parkland College.

The summer 2026 healthcare pre-apprenticeship is now accepting applicants. Additional program details, including eligibility and application information, are available on Parkland College's website. There is no cost to participate.

This initiative is funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Apprenticeship Expansion Grant. News Release.

"Apprenticeships have proven to be a vital part of growing a successful business. Our first apprentice to take on the program started his career a little timid and intimidated by the more seasoned guys. We tried breaking him out of this for a little while on our own. We have found that the apprenticeship program provides the classroom training necessary to reaffirm that what we're doing in the field is, in fact, best practice. This has given our apprentice confidence that what we are doing is right and has allowed him to break out of his timidity. The apprenticeship program for us has proven to be a confidence builder that is shared with all employees through just one."
-Jarod Carlen, Owner of F&C Concrete

During my registered apprenticeship at Lindemann Chimney Supply, I identified a backlog of unfulfilled invoices in NetSuite, the company's enterprise resource planning system, and helped create a process for resolving it.

In working through the backlog, I investigated why the invoices had gone unfulfilled and discovered missing search parameters in the system, which may have been the cause of the issue. That finding shifted the effort from cleanup to remediation, and the fix is an ongoing process I continue to support.

Through this work, I learned the company's intercompany sales order invoicing workflow, which follows a three-stage pattern of Approval, Fulfillment, and Billing, and the corresponding search statuses used to track transactions through the system: Pending Approval, Pending Fulfillment, Partial Fulfillment/Pending Billing, Pending Billing, and Billed. Seeing how search configuration determined which transactions were visible gave me practical insight into how system settings affect data visibility and integrity.

This project strengthened skills that carry directly into my cybersecurity training: methodical troubleshooting, root cause analysis, attention to data integrity, system configuration awareness, and clear documentation. It also demonstrated initiative, since I recognized the problem and helped build the solution rather than waiting for it to be assigned.