The healthcare sector has emerged as a lifeline for career changers and struggling job seekers. After six years as a stay-at-home mother, Cynthia Webster, 50, signed up for a six-week training course through her local hospital in Palm Bay, Florida, that cost her less than $2,000. She found work as a certified nursing assistant right away and has already been approached about becoming a licensed practical nurse.

Job Opportunities in Healthcare

A handful of industries, like healthcare, have helped drive the pickup in US job growth in recent months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. America’s aging population and the necessity of healthcare have propelled the industry’s ongoing hiring spree. Healthcare recruiters have noticed an uptick in people pivoting into the industry to take jobs with a lower barrier to entry, such as nursing assistants and home health aides.

The Place for Children with Autism, an autism therapy center in the Chicago metropolitan area, began offering a revamped training program this year for registered behavior technicians to address persistent vacancies. The program, which doesn’t require prior healthcare experience, has received more than 10,000 applications so far, with 95% of applicants outside the industry.

UCHealth, a health system based in Colorado that employs around 37,000 people, currently has dozens of job openings that have nothing to do with healthcare, ranging from accounts payable analyst to HVAC mechanic. The system also offers training for employees who want to move up or even pivot into patient-facing healthcare jobs, such as nursing.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.