National Apprenticeship Week 2021

In recognition of #NationalApprenticeshipWeek, we highlight our Direct Support Professional Apprenticeship Program! Humanim has partnered with the Maryland Department of Labor to offer a Direct Support Professional Apprenticeship Program. As a registered MD Apprenticeship program, apprentices receive paid, on-the-job training within a variety of community-based settings, while earning professional certification through the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals.

We are currently hosting Youth & Adult Apprenticeship programs in Baltimore City and Howard County. Many participants are excelling in our DSP Ladder, a program created to encourage mastery of professional standards of practice, along with career advancement opportunities and pay incentives.

Meet Olu! Olu is an apprentice in Humanim’s Direct Support Professional Apprenticeship Program. He shares, “I joined the Humanim Apprenticeship Program because of my desire to improve on my skills and knowledge of supporting the individuals we serve. After reading the announcement of the opportunity by my employer, The Arc Baltimore, I felt personally compelled that it is the right step in my career development.”

With previous experience as a DSP, Olu’s decision to join the Apprenticeship Program has made a huge difference in his career by increasing his skill sets and opening up opportunities through professional development. He says not only are the learning modules directly relevant to the everyday parts of his job, he has also found that the program has widened his understanding of the role, and made it more interesting.

“It has become abundantly clear to me now that the job I have and do is because of the individuals I support. They are the reason why the job exists, hence the support and service I render have to be tailored to appropriately support and serve them to live fulfilling lives and rewarding relationships in the community… Truthfully, I look forward to the sessions and it sort of puts LIFE into the learning experience.”

On the apprenticeship model and why other DSPs should join the program, Olu says, “I believe the DSP Apprentice program (at least DSP.1) should be a requirement in the first year of all in the field as the knowledge is very vital in supporting the individuals and personal development of DSPs. My advice to others, especially those who are intentional about the career choice, is to invest themselves in this program as the content has proved very valuable to me.”

We are so glad to have Olu in the program, and look forward to seeing the continued impact he makes in his career!

Meet Tara! Tara is part of Humanim’s Direct Support Professional Apprenticeship Program. “I joined this program in hopes of gaining more knowledge, and to be given the tools that I needed to be effective and instrumental in the lives of the individuals that I work with.”

As a registered apprenticeship program with the Maryland Department of Labor, Humanim’s DSP Apprentices receive a combination of paid on-the-job training and classroom instruction within a variety of community-based settings, while earning professional certification through the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP). For Tara, the combination of on-the-job learning and classroom instruction has made all the difference in the program.

“These classes have been so rewarding. To have a dialogue with our trainers and our group and to be able to talk about real issues, our perceptions, scenarios, and the right and wrong way to handle situations and not be afraid to be wrong or judged… These session have left me with a greater desire to do even more. It has helped me to know that when I keep it person-centered, work with integrity, compassion and give respect to everyone that I work with, whether an individual or a co-worker, I must still keep it person-centered.”

For anyone considering a career in healthcare, caregiving, social work, or as a Direct Support Professional, Tara says, “I would advise you to make an investment in yourself and to join the DSP Apprenticeship program. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. It will help to cultivate what you already know and to see things through a different lens. This program will also help you to be person-centered and to get to know yourself better. The Apprenticeship program will also help you to learn from your peers, and give you a place where you can share your ideas and grow. The mentors are phenomenal – they listen to you, make sure that you are doing well, and teach so well that everyone wants to work as a team and learn how to be person-centered.”

We are so glad to have Tara in the program, and look forward to seeing the impact she makes in her career!

Learn more about Humanim’s DSP Apprenticeship Program at: https://humanim.org/careers/dsp-apprenticeship-program