Building the Behavioral Health Workforce Through Registered Apprenticeships
SDI RC Workforce Development Council | August 28, 2026
Why Community Colleges? The Value Proposition for Apprenticeship
Related Technical (Supplemental) Instruction (RTI) (RSI)
Colleges deliver the classroom learning component — curriculum co-designed with employers and aligned to industry standards.
Credential & Degree Alignment
Stackable credentials, certificates, and associate degrees layered alongside apprenticeship completion.
Equity-Centered Access
Colleges reach adult learners, career-changers, and underrepresented populations — broadening the apprenticeship pipeline.
Employer Partnerships
Existing industry advisory structures make colleges natural connectors between employers and apprenticeship frameworks.
Faculty Expertise
Subject matter experts who can develop contextualized curriculum responsive to new and emerging sectors.
Innovation Infrastructure
Consortia, grants, and regional partnerships create infrastructure to pilot, fund, and scale new apprenticeship models.
Context: Behavioral Health Apprenticeship Expansion in San Diego
How the Network Came Together
Community College Roles in This Model
RTI/RSI Provider
Community colleges already deliver the classroom instruction component, e.g., aligned to substance use counselor, community health worker, and case manager competencies.
Credential Connector
Apprenticeship completion maps directly to college credit, certificates, and pathways toward licensure.
Equity Bridge
College structures support adult learners with wraparound services, financial aid access, and in some cases, flexible scheduling.
SDI Employer Field Guide to Apprenticeships
A practical resource for employers looking to build and register apprenticeship programs.
Scan to download →
CareerEd.org
Building the Behavioral Health Workforce through Registered Apprenticeship
ELEVATE Behavioral Health Apprenticeship Network
San Diego and Imperial Region Workforce Development Council | August 28, 2026
Meet your presenter
Natasha Cruz, M.S., MFT
Behavioral Health Apprenticeship Manager, LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network
BHAN Program Contact
GENERAL CONTACT & INQUIRIES
natasha@launchapprenticeship.org
BOOK A MEETING
calendly.com/natasha-launchapprenticeship
The gap is real, and it is local
Behavioral health demand is outpacing supply in San Diego County and across California.
8,000+
behavioral health professionals short across 11 high-priority occupations in San Diego County
18,500
behavioral health workers the region needs by 2027
58 of 58
California counties projected to face shortages across every behavioral health role studied
San Diego behavioral health workers have a 45% turnover rate vs. 42% in the rest of California.
Sources: County of San Diego, Addressing San Diego's Behavioral Health Worker Shortage (2022); HCAI, Supply and Demand Modeling for California's Behavioral Health Workforce (2025).
The region's response: ELEVATE
A $75 million, five-year investment from the County of San Diego in the public behavioral health workforce.
$75M
Mental Health Services Act Innovation funding from the County of San Diego, administered by the Policy & Innovation Center with Trailhead Strategies.
Goal: recruit and train about 3,000 new behavioral health professionals
BHAN is one of ELEVATE's key strategies
700 registered apprentices by June 2029
The contracted target for the network, tracked in the federal apprenticeship system of record.
Four DOL-registered occupations
Multi-employer standards that employers join rather than build.
Built with regional partners
San Diego Workforce Partnership and the San Diego/Imperial Counties Community Colleges Regional Consortium.
Priority populations at the center
Threshold-language speakers, lived experience, veterans, justice-involved, former foster youth, people with disabilities.
Why registered apprenticeship
A job from day one. A credential at the finish line.
The traditional path
Registered apprenticeship
90%+
of apprentices retain employment after completing a registered apprenticeship
$1.44
average return to employers for every $1 invested in apprenticeship
Source: U.S. Department of Labor
What is BHAN?
A countywide hub for multi-employer registered apprenticeship in behavioral health.
Substance Use Disorder Counselor
SOC 21-1011
DOL-pending
Community Health Worker
SOC 21-1094
DOL-registered
DAS- approved
Social and Human Services Assistant
Case manager roles, SOC 21-1093
DOL-registered
Certified Wellness Coach
Newest occupation added to the network
DOL-registered
Multi-employer means employers join existing standards instead of building their own program.
No program fees
No tuition costs
No administrative burden
Employers pay wages as they normally would. The program itself carries no cost to them.
How it works: the apprentice journey
1
Employer signs on
One agreement to join existing DOL standards
2
Apprentice registered
A new hire or existing staff member, entered into apprenticeship database
3
Learn on the job
Workplace mentor plus related instruction from a college or online provider
4
Supported end to end
SDWP wraparound: career navigation, childcare, transportation, technology
5
Credential and raise
Wage progression, an industry credential, Medi-Cal-billable talent
Who becomes an apprentice?
New hires
Existing staff earning a credential
Career changers from the communities being served
The network: who does what
BHAN
Countywide Hub
LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network
Hub and apprenticeship sponsor
San Diego Workforce Partnership
Supportive services back-end
SD/IC Regional Consortium (SDICCCRC)
Education and training network
County of San Diego, PIC and Trailhead
ELEVATE funder and strategy lead
The partners behind BHAN
Apprenticeship sponsor and hub
Holds the DOL standards, registers apprentices, runs the occupation committees, and carries compliance so employers do not have to.
Supportive services back-end
Wraparound support, CBO partnerships, and candidate recruitment, with a focus on the priority populations ELEVATE is built to serve.
Education and training network
Brings community colleges and LEAs online across every region of the county, aligned to the four ELEVATE occupations.
Why LAUNCH: a proven intermediary
Statewide apprenticeship intermediary and DOL-registered sponsor, in partnership with the Foundation for California Community Colleges
Since 2018, LAUNCH has built apprenticeship into California's colleges and school districts: employers join existing DOL-registered standards, colleges deliver the classroom instruction, and LAUNCH carries registration, compliance, and committee facilitation. BHAN runs on that model.
Recognized by New America, the Southern California Association of Governments, and two California Secretaries of Labor as a model for expanding registered apprenticeship.
2,500+
apprentices registered statewide with LAUNCH and its partner sponsors
48
occupations registered with the U.S. Department of Labor across six sectors
56
education partners, from K12 districts to universities
450+
employer partners across California
Proof in this field: in its first year in San Diego, LAUNCH stood up BHAN with three DOL registered apprenticeships, one DAS registered apprenticeship, four community college partners signed on, and 20 registered apprentices and counting.
Where we are: Year 1 target
As of August 2026
19
of 33 by December
Registered apprentices, with a goal of 33 by Dec
4
occupations registered with the U.S. Department of Labor
5
anchor employers with signed Industry Partner Agreements
4
Community College education partners engaged, from online to every region of the county
3
Regional Employer Committee meetings
6
additional employers in active partnership conversations
Live
program website, Phase 1, with Phase 2 resources in development
Twelve months of building
From contract to first cohort
Sep 2025
Contract executed; network stand-up begins
Oct 2025
ELEVATE launches countywide, $75M
Feb 2026
Dedicated apprenticeship lead onboard in San Diego
Mar 2026
Three employer committee info sessions, 54 attendees
Apr 2026
Program website live, Phase 1
May 2026
First Regional Employer Committee, 25 partners
Jun 2026
First LEA agreement executed, San Diego City College
Aug 2026
19 registered; SUD & CHW pathways confirmed; fall cohorts in motion
Founding partners and the employer pipeline
Anchor employers, signed
Episcopal Community Services
McAlister Institute
Interfaith Community Services
Healthcare Integrated Services
Education partners
San Diego City College (Substance Use Disorder Counselor and Community Health Worker )
Southwestern College (Social and Human Services Assistant and Substance Use Disorder Counselor)
Palomar College (in progress)
Calbright College (Community Health Worker)
Network partners
San Diego Workforce Partnership
SD/IC Community Colleges Regional Consortium
Policy & Innovation Center and Trailhead Strategies
Employer pipeline
~93 ELEVATE-eligible behavioral health employers
25 engaged through the Regional Committee
10 in active partnership conversations
5 signed founding partners
Next: a regional employer campaign and credentialing incumbent staff at signed partners.
Easterseals Southern California
Epiphany (T.H.E C.I.R.I.C.L.E By Epiphany )
Where we are going: 700 by June 2029
Cumulative registered apprentices
33 by December 2026
The near-term milestone, driven by credentialing incumbent staff at anchor partners.
150 by June 2027
Community college cohorts running and a pre-apprenticeship pipeline coming online.
700 by June 2029
A self-sustaining network that employers keep running.
Four years, four phases
How subsidy gives way to self-sustaining demand
BUILD
2025 to 2026
Stand up infrastructure, sign founding employers, register the first cohort, prove the model.
EXPAND
2026 to 2027
You are here
Scale cohorts and the education pipeline, launch pre-apprenticeship, run a regional employer campaign.
STRENGTHEN
2027 to 2028
Network effects compound. Agencies bill Medi-Cal with more credentialed staff. Quality review.
SUSTAIN
2028 to 2029
The network runs on its own: 700 registered apprentices, state registration, stackable college credit.
What makes it self-sustaining
Medi-Cal-billable credentials
the employer return on investment
State (DAS) registration
unlocks California funding levers
Stackable college credit
apprenticeship as a higher-education on-ramp
Braided funding
WIOA Title I, CalWORKs, CalFresh E&T
What's next: Fall 2026
Six moves between now and December
Grow Your Own
Credential existing staff at partner agencies. Registration becomes a roster conversation, not a hiring pipeline.
First community college cohorts
Fall 2026 SUD and CHW launch in progress with San Diego City College. Calbright's fully online, tuition-free CHW pathway is confirmed.
Regional employer recruitment
Schedule a discovery call, attend BHAN office hours, and provide warm introductions to employer partners.
Wraparound support model
SDWP case management and supportive services for every apprentice; supervisor train-the-trainer for employers.
Quarterly Committee Meeting
Our next quarterly committee meeting is on November 4th at 10:00am
ELEVATE Annual Event
November 10th, 2026 4:30pm- 7:30pm �The Sharp Prebys Innovation and Education Center�Founding partner recognition and an apprentice signing ceremony.
The Regional Employer Committee
One governing hub, the whole network around it
LAUNCH: Facilitates the committee, keeps the records, and carries state and federal compliance
Employers: Signed industry partners hold the votes; the chair and officers come from this group
Workforce Development Services: SDWP and CBO partners: candidate recruitment and supportive services around every apprentice
Education partners: Community colleges and education providers advising on instruction and pathways
What it does
Validates occupation standards and program design
Governs records and program integrity, as California requires (CCR 212(b))
Keeps the network accountable to real employer hiring needs
NEXT MEETING
Wednesday, November 4 · 10:00 AM
RSVP: natasha@launchapprenticeship.org
Apprenticeship Agency Liaison, Compliance, and Administrative Services
Workforce Development & WIOA Youth Services
K-12 Pre-Apprenticeships, Dual Enrollment, Youth Apprenticeship Pathways
Employer Engagement and Services, Incumbent Worker Outreach
Where you come in
Every seat in this room touches the pipeline
Community colleges and CTE faculty
Host related instruction for an occupation. Refer current students into paid apprenticeships. Sit on an occupation committee.
K12 and pathway coordinators
Help shape the pre-apprenticeship on-ramp. Connect seniors and adult learners to a paid entry point into the field.
CBOs, case managers, veteran centers
Refer candidates from priority populations. Partner on supportive services through SDWP.
Economic development and chambers
Open doors to ELEVATE-eligible employers. Amplify the network to your members.
Behavioral Health Employers
Credential the staff you already have. One agreement, no program fees, no tuition costs, no administrative burden.
Everyone
Attend a monthly info session. Bring one employer partner to the next Regional Committee meeting at 10:00am on November 4th via Zoom.
Let's build this together.
700 registered apprentices. Four occupations. One network.
Natasha Cruz, M.S., MFT | Behavioral Health Apprenticeship Manager
natasha@launchapprenticeship.org | launchapprenticeship.org/elevate-behavioral-health-apprenticeship-network
READY TO JOIN?
SCAN TO BOOK A MEETING
Choose a time that works for you
calendly.com/natasha-launchapprenticeship
San Diego Workforce Partnership��Healthcare Apprenticeships�
#thisisworkforce
workforce.org
158,664�Individuals
connected with
SDWP
$4M+�Invested in
job training
439 �Business services
provided
VISION
A thriving region that offers every San Diegan opportunities for economic advancement.
MISSION
To serve as a regional hub linking job seekers to meaningful careers and employers to well-trained talent.
72% �of career center
clients employed after
enrollment
Key Areas of Focus
Expanding Affordable & Accessible Career Pathways to Priority Sector Apprenticeships
Strengthening Regional Collaboration to Build a Sustainable Apprenticeship Ecosystem
Enhancing Equitable Recruitment Strategies to Increase Diversity in the Workforce
Developing High-Quality,
Pre-Apprenticeship & Apprenticeship Programs to Ensure Workforce Readiness
Apprenticeship Pathways & Programs at SDWP
#thisisworkforce
workforce.org
27
How SDWP Supports Employers
Partner with employers to host apprentices in SDWP sponsored apprenticeships
Connect employers to LAUNCH for no-cost intermediary and sponsorship support
Build talent pipelines by referring qualified candidates into apprenticeship opportunities
Wage subsidy programs available to offset on-the-job training costs
#thisisworkforce
workforce.org
28
SUD Apprenticeship in Action
#thisisworkforce
workforce.org
29
Collaborative Solutions for a Stronger Apprenticeship Ecosystem
Strengthen Collaboration Among Key Stakeholders
Build Supportive Apprenticeship Pathways
#thisisworkforce
workforce.org
30
Substance Use Disorder Counselor Apprenticeship
Community Health Worker Apprenticeship
1
2
3
Overview of the features & benefits of apprenticeships.
Resources for job seekers, employers, & training providers.
Contact info for our partners at LAUNCH for intermediary employer support.
NEW
Apprenticeship Landing Page
workforce.org/apprenticeships
#thisisworkforce
workforce.org
33
THANK YOU
Our work is made possible through the partnerships and support of businesses, community organizations,
elected officials, board members, funders, investors and donors.
workforce.org
Behavioral Health Services
Substance Use Disorder Counselor Apprenticeship Program
August 2026
Apprenticeship Program Overview
Next Steps & Challenges
Apprentice Enrollment
SDWP & Tarzana College Meetings
Support Apprentices
Apprentice Adjustment
Leadership Discussion
Questions
UPCOMING APPRENTICESHIP WEBINARS
Mark Your Calendar
1
2
Talent Talk
Unlocking Apprenticeship Funding & Incentives for Employers
— San Diego Workforce Partnership, GO-Biz, and NextGen Policy on apprenticeship funding and incentives for employers
Sept 24 · 11am–12pm
Talent Talk
A Timely Opportunity to Expand Apprenticeships
— Hear insights from 2 new reports: SD Imperial Center of Excellence on AI-resilient, high-opportunity apprenticeable occupations and SD Workforce Partnership on how AI is transforming jobs more than eliminating them
Oct 22 · 11am–12pm