Workforce Development Institute
The SNLC Workforce Development Institute (WDI) serves as a pilot incubator for shared workforce strategies across member centers. Launched in FY25, the WDI tests and refines collaborative approaches to recruitment and hiring, workplace culture and wellness, workforce training, and career advancement. Initiatives begin as pilots, with findings shared across the collaborative so member centers can adopt what works for their context.
Workforce Development Institute Goals
Recruitment and Hiring - Piloting shared tools and resources to attract and retain staff across member centers.
Wellness and Workplace Culture - Testing strategies that support staff wellbeing and build cultures where employees thrive.
Training Frontline Workers - Creating pathways into community health careers through collaborative training programs.
Career Advancement - Developing opportunities that help current employees grow within their organizations.
Past Pilots
Medical Assistant Training Program
The MA Training Program partnered with the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA) to train and place medical assistants across member centers. The SNLC MA Training Program was the first major initiative of the Workforce Development Institute, designed to expand medical assistant training for member health centers and establish shared training approaches across health centers while sharing resources to promote the program’s success. The pilot (September 2024 to April 2025) engaged nine SNLC member centers as Externship Organizations (EOs) in partnership with NIMAA. EOs hosted and trained 26 students in an eight-month hybrid program that combined online academics with a 240-hour in-person externship. The pilot produced 22 graduates with an 85% graduation rate and an average GPA of 3.9, above NIMAA's national average of 3.69. Satisfaction ratings were high across all groups: 83% among students, 89% among preceptors, and 84% among program coordinators.
MA Program Participant Feedback:
“What I found valuable was meeting the workers and finding comfort knowing that we come from the same roots, so it felt nice knowing that we are all similar. everyone felt very welcoming and all seemed true to themselves I really liked that”
“I appreciated observing professionals in their roles, receiving constructive feedback, and gaining insight into daily operations and expectations within the field”
“One aspect I experience most valuable is hands on learning, it has helped me gain confidence when speaking to patients and also I've gained skills in working as a team with my preceptor”
The Staff Engagement Survey
As part of the WDI's focus on staff wellness and workplace culture, SNLC launched its first collaborative-wide Staff Engagement Survey in FY25. The pilot was developed by a volunteer committee of HR and leadership staff from participating centers. Seven centers participated, collecting 775 responses between January and February 2025. Results were shared with individual centers and across the entire collaborative, in line with SNLC's principles of transparency and mutual learning. Based on the pilot's success, the survey was updated and offered collaborative-wide in FY26. Seven centers participated, with 433 responses collected between January and February 2026. Results were analyzed and shared at a dedicated Staff Engagement Learning Event in April 2026, and a dashboard comparing FY25 and FY26 data was provided to centers to inform center- and collaborative-wide initiatives.