Sharron Nursing Academy and Dwyer Workforce Development Send 36 New CNAs into the Healthcare Workforce

Thirty-six Certified Nursing Assistants graduated Friday at New St James AME Church, completing tuition-free training through a partnership between Sharron Nursing Academy and Dwyer Workforce Development (DWD) that moves Jacksonville scholars directly into in-demand healthcare jobs.

Graduates were joined by their families to mark the end of their training and the start of their healthcare careers. Since the partnership formed in 2024, more than 300 Dwyer Scholars have completed the program at Sharron Nursing Academy, with more than 100 having already passed the state certification exam and others awaiting test dates.

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Nearly a third of Florida's residents — 6.3 million people, more than 28 percent — are already 60 or older, and the state projects that share will reach roughly one-third by 2030, according to the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Demand for care is climbing while the caregiving workforce shrinks: for every new CNA certified in Florida, more than six leave the profession, according to the CNA Shortage Index, and nearly 95 percent of nursing home operators report struggling to recruit and retain staff, according to a Florida Health Care Association survey. A 2021 Florida Hospital Association analysis projects the state will face a shortage of nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035.

DWD's model pairs tuition-free healthcare career training with the support that makes finishing possible — personalized case management, career navigation, job placement assistance and opportunities for continued education. That approach is designed to remove the barriers that stop people who have the aptitude but not the runway: coursework colliding with work schedules, lack of childcare, unreliable transportation and unstable housing.

DWD has served over 1,300 scholars across Florida and over 12,000 nationwide, and is working toward its goal of serving 100,000 Dwyer Scholars by 2030.