Organization:CVS Health
Benefit:Retain Workers
CVS Health’s demand for highly skilled pharmacy technicians outpaced the supply of qualified and licensed professionals in some areas of the country. Recognizing a need to attract new and more diverse apprentices to reflect their customer base, CVS Health began creating pre-apprenticeship programs to build a pool of qualified applicants ready to enter its Pharmacy Technician Registered Apprenticeship Program. CVS Health built a network of pre-apprenticeship partnerships, including local community colleges, workforce boards, community-based organizations, and others, fostering new avenues to recruit prospective pharmacy technician apprentices. For example, in partnership with Houston Community College, 33 students in the 2016 cohort completed the Pharmacy Technician Pre-Apprenticeship, and 21 were later hired as apprentices at CVS Health.