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Catalyst for Wellness in Community
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Apprenticeship Program
The Catalyst for Wellness in Community Apprenticeship Program is a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program designed to strengthen California’s behavioral health workforce and create career pathways for people serving children, youth, and families.
Today, Catalyst Center is building on this work as the workforce and employer engagement lead for the California Wellness Coach Apprenticeship Project, part of the statewide California Behavioral Health Apprenticeship Collaborative (CBHAC). We work directly with employer partners to help them use apprenticeship to develop their workforce, build behavioral health competencies, support employee advancement, and prepare current and future staff for emerging behavioral health roles, including California Wellness Coach I certification.
For questions about the program please contact CWCApprenticeship@catalyst-center.org
Program at a Glance
The California Wellness Coach Apprenticeship combines:
• Paid employment with a participating employer
• Tuition-free related college instruction
• Structured on-the-job competency development
• Mentorship and formal competency assessment
• Behavioral health career advancement, including a pathway to Wellness Coach I certification
Supporting Employers Statewide
Catalyst Center supports employers participating in the California Wellness Coach Apprenticeship Project, from initial program exploration and onboarding through implementation and ongoing participation. Support includes mentor training and resources, professional development, implementation guidance, technical assistance, and coordination with apprenticeship and education partners.
Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce
The program creates accessible pathways into behavioral health careers for individuals from diverse and underserved communities, including people with lived experience and strong connections to the communities they serve. These experiences can bring trust, cultural humility, and empathy to behavioral health services and help strengthen connections between providers, clients, and communities.
A Behavioral Health Career Pathway
The apprenticeship is designed for incumbent workers serving children, youth, and families who are ready to grow in the behavioral health field. Apprentices may currently work in roles such as Behavioral Health Aide, Youth Care Worker, Student Support Assistant, or After-School Program Specialist. The program builds transferable behavioral health competencies while creating pathways to Wellness Coach certification and other opportunities for career advancement.
Learn more about our program through our white paper 'An Apprenticeship Model for California’s Behavioral Health Workforce'
For questions about the program please contact CWCApprenticeship@catalyst-center.org
Three Year Program Snapshot
2 0 2 3 — 2 0 2 6
Launched in Fall 2023 by Chabot-Las Positas Community College District and theCalifornia Alliance for Children and Family Services, the Catalyst for Wellness inCommunity (CWC) Apprenticeship Program benefits apprentices, employers, and California by growing, diversifying, and improving the workforce serving systems involved children, youth, and their families. Apprentices gain hands-on experience through mentored, paid work at partner employers while earning an associate degree in Social Work and Human Services at Chabot College.
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