High school students to earn CNA license after Highlands College and partners expand free training program to Billings
Thirty-three high school students have gained a significant head start in their healthcare careers through a collaborative initiative. A partnership between Highlands College of Montana Tech, Montana State University-Billings, Montana Futures at Work, and Billings Career Center has provided these students with tuition-free access to Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) licensure courses.
The program launched in Fall 2024, with funding from Montana Futures at Work, and provided students with free scrubs, study materials, instruction, a blood pressure cuff, and a stethoscope. It allows high school students to take dual enrollment classes and earn their CNA license prior to high school graduation, and takes one semester to one year to complete. Students at Billings Senior, Billings Skyview, Billings West, and Billings Catholic Schools are participating. Students enrolling in the certificate program have the ability to take dual credit classes offered through Montana State University-Billings and Highlands College at the Billings Career Center or online. The Certified Nursing Assistant course is only offered to all students online through Highlands College of Montana Tech. The Highlands College CNA instructor travels to Billings for the in-person, hand-on skills portions of the program. Students are able to complete the 25 clinical hours at St. Vincent Regional Hospital-Intermountain Health.
“Students are pretty excited about the program,” Director of Community Education and Industry Partners Kinsley Bennett said. “It's a great opportunity for anyone looking to go into healthcare and also to bring more licensed CNAs to the Billings area. We've had a lot of positive feedback. We hope that they continue on a path in healthcare or go right into the workforce.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes the 2023 median pay for CNAs in the U.S. in 2023 was $18.33 an hour, with more than 1.4 million CNA jobs available. A 2024 report from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry projects there are an estimated 750 job openings for CNAs in Montana each year through 2032 – the most among nursing occupations in the state.
Students will be able to take their state licensing examination in the last week of April. Montana State University-Billings and Highlands College will hold a reception for students who complete the program on May 7, 2025 in Billings. Some of the students, in addition to completing the requirements for their CNA license, will complete the Highlands College 13-credit Foundations of Health Care Certificate, which includes coursework for College Writing I, Mathematics (Contemporary Math, College Algebra, or Math for Health Care), Intro to Health Careers, and the Certified Nursing Assistant course.
Highlands College offers an analogous CNA training program for Southwestern Montana high school students where clinicals are held in Butte. Any current Montana high school students who have interest in the programs can contact Kinsley Rafish-Bennett at krafish@mtech.edu.