Scientific careers have always been desirable, but often unattainable for millions of Americans. While many people dream of being an engineer or physician, most think that careers in STEM or science-related fields require a bachelor's degree or even a doctorate to break in. Essentially putting these dreams out of reach.
As a result, there's a shortage of medical professionals, scientists, and engineers across the United States.
However, one group is about to change that.
A new startup organization, Preppy, in partnership with Auburn University's Office of Professional and Continuing Education Department, is going to show the world why that's no longer true.
How? Through affordable, entry-level certification programs designed to get more people into the field, without needing a college degree.
What most people don't realize, is that there are many entry-level positions in scientific fields that go unfilled, or are difficult to fill, every year. For example, in healthcare, it's no secret that we have a supply shortage of physicians and nurses: refer to this site
To better help alleviate the situation, medical organizations have been hiring more frontline staff to aid in patient care like phlebotomists, medical assistance, certified nursing assistants, and many more.
These positions serve a critical role in frontline patient care and help alleviate the staffing shortages for physicians.
And, all of these positions just require specialized certification training as opposed to a college degree.
Prior to Preppy's launch, the main issue has been affordability and accessibility. Most individuals who are interested in these certification training programs faced on-campus programs with rigid schedules and huge price tags of $20,000 or more. It essentially made the careers out of reach for most Americans.
But that's where Preppy and Auburn University's innovation has come in.
Using cutting-edge online training technology, these programs are now offered online and at a fraction of the prior cost. They've even begun to receive 3rd party acclaim in the marketplace showing up in top third-party rankings such as top medical billing and coding schools, by OnlineDegree.com for 2022.
Innovation in the delivery and affordability of educational training programs is perhaps the key to getting more Americans interested in STEM careers and alleviating the shortages of workers across these critical fields.