Work Underway to Implement 1000+ New CNA Pipeline Initiative

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Jenna Kellerman

Gov. Tim Walz announced a new initiative to recruit, train, and deploy at least 1,000 new certified nursing assistants for Minnesota long-term care facilities experiencing staffing shortages by the end of January. LeadingAge Minnesota and our Long-Term Care Imperative played a critical role in advocating for this initiative.

LeadingAge Minnesota staff participate in a workgroup led by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, including state agencies, higher education institutions, and long-term care providers, to implement the recruiting and training program. It will recruit qualified Minnesotans and enroll them in nursing assistant training programs across the state. The goal is to remove barriers to access for people interested in nursing assistant training and to incentivize these students to accept positions as caregivers in nursing homes.

The state will use federal American Rescue Plan funding to pay for qualifying expenses associated with CAN courses (i.e., tuition, fees, books, technology needs, test fees) to ensure these courses are available at no cost to students.

The details of this initiative are still in development, such as which training programs will qualify to receive the funding, student eligibility, and student incentives.

More information will be released in the coming days. If you have immediate questions, please reach out to Jenna Kellerman, Director of Workforce Solutions.