Spotlight on Apprenticeship Success
Building the Behavioral Health Workforce from Within
Join Jonathan from Ascend Behavior Partners at the next AZ Blue Health Choice Provider Forum as he highlights how apprenticeships have become a powerful recruitment and retention strategy for his organization, helping develop internal talent, reduce workforce shortages, and support long-term workforce growth.
As healthcare providers across Arizona continue to face workforce shortages, Ascend Behavior Partners (Ascend Behavior Partners – Children's ABA Therapy Experts) offers a powerful example of how apprenticeship-style workforce development can strengthen recruitment, retention, and quality of care.
Mark Faul, Workforce Development Administrator for AZ Blue Health Choice (Mark.Faul@azblue.com) had the opportunity to interview Jonathan Mueller, the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Ascend Behavior Partners.
Nearly eight years ago, Ascend launched a behavioral health residency program to create a sustainable pipeline of talent, developing Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) into licensed behavior analysts through structured education, supervision, and hands-on experience.
The program combines clear career pathways, rigorous mentorship, and industry best practices, including accreditation as a training practicum site through the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence. While challenges such as supervision capacity and upfront costs remain, Ascend has found that investing in employee growth results in significantly higher retention rates, stronger organizational culture, and improved client outcomes. Key lessons for providers considering apprenticeship programs include:
- identifying a specific workforce challenge,
- establishing measurable goals,
- engaging internal champions, and
- celebrating participant successes.
Ascend also emphasizes the importance of sharing success stories and raising awareness to encourage workforce innovation across the healthcare community. By creating opportunities for employees to advance their careers while meeting organizational workforce needs, apprenticeship programs can serve as a valuable strategy for building a stronger, more resilient healthcare workforce.
Join Jonathan from Ascend Behavior Partners at the next AZ Blue Health Choice Provider Forum as he highlights how apprenticeships have become a powerful recruitment and retention strategy for his organization, helping develop internal talent, reduce workforce shortages, and support long-term workforce growth.
October 28, 2026 | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Click here to register