Aging Forward August 2026
OnTrack in Action: Growing Minnesota’s Aging Services Workforce
On August 18, 2026 by Anna Mowry
Earlier this year, the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation introduced the largest expansion in OnTrack’s history: a new Trained Medication Aide program, multilingual nursing assistant resources, website enhancements and a statewide strategy to connect more employers and learners with training.
Now, the results are beginning to show what that expansion means in practice.
Since its launch in 2018, OnTrack has enrolled more than 11,000 nursing assistant learners across Minnesota. In 2025 alone, approximately one in 10 people taking Minnesota’s nurse aide competency examination had received their training through OnTrack.
That reach continued during the first half of 2026, when 760 nursing assistant learners enrolled through 140 participating programs. At the same time, providers began adopting the new OnTrack Trained Medication Aide pathway, with 31 programs registered and 43 learners beginning their training by midyear.
Together, these results demonstrate the demand for flexible, employer-connected training designed specifically for aging services.
Hear from the People Using OnTrack
Numbers demonstrate OnTrack’s reach, but the experiences of participating employers, trainers and learners show its impact.
In a new video, OnTrack participants share how the program is helping organizations develop their own workforce and giving learners a flexible, supportive way to begin or advance an aging services career.
Their perspectives highlight what makes the model effective: online education that can be completed with greater flexibility, hands-on instruction delivered through approved local programs and a direct connection between training and employment.
For providers, this means an opportunity to build a workforce pipeline tailored to their organization and community. For learners, it means being able to train closer to home and, in many cases, through an employer already invested in their success.
Watch OnTrack in action: View the new OnTrack video
Early Progress for New Learner Supports
Organizations have also begun using the Spanish, Somali and Hmong supplemental materials introduced for OnTrack nursing assistant learners in January – funded by the Department of Human Services GEAR Division.
These materials reinforce key concepts, support comprehension and help multilingual learners build confidence while completing required instruction and competency evaluations in English.
A new video provides employers, workforce partners and prospective learners with a closer look at how the translated materials work and how they can be incorporated into an approved OnTrack program.
See the multilingual resources: Watch the translated learner-support video
Bringing Proven Solutions to More Communities
The Foundation is pairing these program innovations with a broader statewide outreach strategy. New digital campaigns, videos and website improvements are making it easier for employers and learners to understand OnTrack and take the next step.
Targeted outreach is also connecting the program with more than 1,000 aging services providers, schools, workforce agencies and community-based organizations. These partnerships are especially important in communities where access to traditional training may be limited by geography, scheduling, transportation or instructor capacity.
OnTrack’s growth reflects the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s role as an incubator of practical workforce solutions. The Foundation identifies persistent barriers, develops models informed by providers and learners, and builds the infrastructure needed to bring promising approaches to scale.
As OnTrack enters its next phase, the opportunity extends beyond increasing enrollment. Its growing platform offers a foundation for additional career pathways, new partnerships and continued innovation across Minnesota’s aging services workforce.
Explore OnTrack or learn how to participate:
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Call 651-425-1110