Front Range Community College will distribute $5.6 million in scholarships to students in healthcare programs through fall 2026 under a new state program that seeks to bolster Colorado’s healthcare workforce.
Care Forward Colorado provides $26 million to community and technical colleges from now until fall 2026 so that students can receive full-ride scholarships to complete healthcare certificate programs. The program was included in a new law signed this year aimed at boosting the healthcare workforce.
Students can have their tuition, fees and course materials paid for if they train to become a certified nursing assistant, emergency medical technician, phlebotomy technician, pharmacy technician, medical assistant or dental assistant at a participating college.
Front Range received permission from the state to also offer full-ride scholarships to students in massage therapy and sterile processing programs, said Rebecca Woulfe, vice president for academic affairs and online learning.
Students already enrolled in those programs this fall will receive a tuition refund and scholarships will be in place for students starting this spring, Woulfe said. There are approximately 550 students enrolled in those programs this year, and labor data suggests those fields growing 20-40% in the next decade, she said.
“One of the things we do as an institution is watch the community needs for program areas, and we are definitely seeing a high demand for all of those areas,” Woulfe said. “In some cases, like our dental assisting program, we have waiting lists because of accreditation and we can only put so many people through. There’s absolutely a need for all of these positions.”
Another benefit to short-term credential programs is that students can enter the workforce immediately after graduating, Woulfe said. The program will also be able to fund apprenticeships like those used in sterile processing and medical assisting programs.
“One of the conversations we have at our institution is that some of these entry-level positions, students have to pay for (credentials) and then end up with entry-level salary placement,” Woulfe said. “We have been talking for a long time about making it so students don’t have out-of-pocket costs. This is exactly what we were looking for, to support students going into these fields without any student debt.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the number of FRCC students enrolled in programs this year.
