A new partnership between Beth Israel Lahey Health and Northeastern University is bringing a new model of healthcare workforce development to Burlington. Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and Northeastern University have launched Massachusetts' first AI Healthcare Registered Apprenticeship Program, approved by the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Division of Apprenticeship Standards. The program is believed to be the first in the nation of its kind tied to a bachelor's degree.
The apprenticeship combines classroom instruction with 2,000 hours of hands on training inside a working healthcare system, giving participants the chance to apply what they are learning in real time while studying applied AI. According to Jared Auclair, Dean of the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University, the program was built around the idea of learning by doing, pairing structured coursework with genuine healthcare experience.
The program is designed to help healthcare systems put artificial intelligence to practical use. That includes automating routine tasks, improving job performance, and speeding up workflows so providers can spend more time focused on patient care.
Dr. Susan Moffatt-Bruce, President of Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, said the launch reflects a turning point for the industry. She noted that healthcare can no longer simply theorize about artificial intelligence and must instead find ways to embrace it responsibly, with innovation that moves quickly while remaining safe, well governed, and genuinely useful to clinicians and patients. She pointed to Lahey's continued investment in innovation, including the Lahey Innovation Hub, developed in partnership with the UMass Chan Institute for Healthcare Delivery Science, as part of that effort to bring emerging technology into patient care responsibly.
The program also supports Beth Israel Lahey Health's broader commitment to training people for critical roles within the organization and expanding career opportunities for individuals in the communities it serves. Beyond preparing apprentices for immediate roles in AI enabled healthcare operations, the program is meant to open a longer pathway for career growth over time.
Diego Martins, a Northeastern University senior from Medford, Massachusetts, was introduced as the program's first registered apprentice. Martins, an analytics major continuing this fall into Northeastern's Applied AI master's program, called the opportunity to be part of the state's first AI Healthcare Registered Apprenticeship Program incredibly meaningful.
The launch was celebrated at a kickoff event at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center on March 6, joined by Secretary Lauren Jones and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. Auclair pointed to the collaboration as an example of one of Massachusetts' greatest strengths, the ability of industry, higher education, and government to build something together.
While Boston is widely recognized as a hub for healthcare, life sciences, and innovation, this partnership is a reminder that meaningful work is also taking shape in Burlington. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries nationwide, leaders from healthcare, education, and government say apprenticeship programs like this one will play a key role in preparing the next generation of workers to lead that change, right here in Burlington.
