We’re excited to share that Willamette Workforce Partnership (WWP) has been awarded the Higher Education Coordinating Commissioner (HECC) Statewide Apprenticeship Creation Grant (#25-105) to launch the Willamette Valley CADC Registered Apprenticeship Initiative.



This grant supports the creation of an earn-and-learn pathway into the Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC-I) profession, helping expand Oregon’s behavioral health workforce while increasing access to training for working adults and individuals with lived experience.

Program highlights include:

1. A BOLI-registered apprenticeship with 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job learning and 150 hours/year of MHACBO-approved instruction
2. Education partners Chemeketa Community College, Linn-Benton Community College, Jobel Gushi at Healing Helpers Academy, and Janis Crawford, PhD, LPC, ACS delivering accessible coursework
3. Employer partners Bridgeway Community Health and Church at the Park serving as training agents across Marion, Polk, Yamhill, and Linn Counties
4. A strong supportive services model coordinated by WWP to promote equitable access and retention

The initiative is grounded in the collaborative framework of Willamette Care Connects and reflects the shared commitment of our education, employer, and community partners to strengthening the behavioral health workforce across the Mid-Willamette Valley.

Over the grant period, we anticipate enrolling 10 apprentices, engaging 2–4 employers, and achieving strong completion and CADC-I certification outcomes. Most importantly, this work helps address critical regional workforce shortages while creating meaningful career pathways for local residents.

To anyone that has been a part of this work, thank you for your partnership and collaboration! This award reflects the collective effort and shared vision of this group. We look forward to working together as we move into implementation and will be in touch soon with next steps.

A special thank you to Julie Guenette, WWP's Healthcare Workforce Strategist, who wrote the grant and will shepherd this amazing apprenticeship program throughout. Congratulations, Julie!