“Within reason, I want the most well-educated workforce in long-term care”. Those words although paraphrased, summarize the marching orders given to me by our founder, Scott Middleton. Having worked in higher education my entire life, coupled with a cognate in gerontology in my doctoral program, I set about putting together what is now known as LTC University.
Over the years, LTCU (which began as Agape University) has evolved into the dynamic, interactive learning management system we see today. Starting with two student interns – Ben Finley and Jackie Keefe, we began to put together courses that individuals could access and learn from while in the employment of our companies. Today, with over 1000 courses online – all of which were developed by employees and content area experts, we are a robust and dynamic learning enterprise, still focused on having the most “well-educated workforce in the industry”.
LTCU/Agape University has always been a leader in innovation and creativity. In fact, Agape Senior and Agape Hospice were the FIRST health-care-related businesses in South Carolina to put together a registered apprenticeship program for its employees. What we saw from the beginning of this innovative program is that employees were much more knowledgeable, better equipped to handle difficult situations and were more invested in the company after completing the program. We have grown this model so that today, our company has over 14 Registered Apprenticeship programs and there is an apprenticeship program for every employee of all of our businesses. In fact, if one wants a pay raise, the completion of a registered apprenticeship program is the only way an increase is earned (see your local HR rep for information).
We have been recognized nationally and internationally for our work in Apprenticeship programs. In fact, we were even listed as a case study in a recently released book on HR issues in higher education. If you are interested in reading the chapter, please let me know and I will send you a word document.
So, get involved in an Apprenticeship program, log into our online learning management system and begin to enjoy the knowledge that has been created just for you – the most well-educated workforce in the industry! If interested in more information, please contact Jackie Keefe, 803-207-8153.
Happy Learning!
