$2.4 Million Grant To Train 120 Health Care Workers In Beverly, Salem

SALEM, MA — Salem Hospital and Beverly Hospital are expected to benefit from some of the 120 new health care and behavioral health workers trained through $16.3 million in state Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund grants announced Wednesday designed to upskill 1,860 workers statewide in the high-demand occupations.

The funding will support initiatives to train and hire unemployed and underemployed workers while providing current employees with the skills to meet the needs of Massachusetts employers
for roles such as emergency medical technician, certified nurse assistant, and mental health peer support specialist.

"Investing in our behavioral health workforce is a recipe for success and has a direct impact on residents across the state," Lt. Gov. and former Salem Mayor Kim Driscott said on Wednesday. "These grants provide training and placement into vital healthcare roles, strengthen our competitiveness, and make Massachusetts stronger today and for tomorrow."

The city of Salem and MassHire North Shore Workforce Board was awarded $2.4 million to provide training and placement services to about 120 workers to then be placed at Salem Hospital, Beth Israel Lahey Health Beverly Hospital and other North Shore medical facilities.

The state said the partnership also aims to research and assess the viability of developing a health care supervisor training for incumbent workers and a Foundation of Healthcare Occupations training for unemployed and underemployed job seekers.

"Industries across the state are experiencing workforce challenges, but the need is particularly great in behavioral health care, as we need enough trained workers to provide the care that our residents need and deserve," said Gov. Maura Healey. "These grants will help address these challenges by hiring and training new talent and upskilling existing talent."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)