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The U.S. Department of Labor announced an $80 million funding opportunity through its Nursing Expansion Grant Program to support nursing training programs designed to expand the pipeline of nursing professionals. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is projected that more than 275,000 additional nurses are needed from 2020 to 2030, and that employment opportunities for nurses will grow at nine percent, faster than all other occupations from 2016 through 2026.
More specifically, this funding is aimed at addressing bottlenecks in training the U.S. nursing workforce and expand and diversify the pipeline of qualified nursing professionals through two training tracks. The first track (Nurse Education Professional Track) will increase the number of clinical and vocational nursing instructors and educators by training new or upskilling experienced current or former nurses (including retired nurses) into advanced postsecondary credentialing necessary for nurses to become clinical and vocational nursing instructors and educators. The second track (Nursing Career Pathway Track) will train frontline health care professionals and paraprofessionals, including direct care workers, to advance along a career pathway and attain postsecondary credentials needed for middle- to high-skilled nursing occupations during the grant period of performance.
The deadline to apply for the grant funding is January 6, 2023, and further information – including eligibility criteria – can be found here.