Skip Navigation

Concordia Awarded Grant to Bolster Youth Apprenticeship Pharmacy Technician Pathways

Concordia University Wisconsin’s School of Pharmacy is housed in Patrick T. Ferry Hall.

Concordia University Wisconsin recently received a $15,000 award that will enable its School of Pharmacy (CUWSOP) to support Youth Apprenticeship pharmacy technician pathways in Milwaukee County.

In May, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation announced CUWSOP as one of only three schools nationwide to receive a prestigious diversity scholarship grant, awarded each year to a small number of schools that demonstrate a commitment to advancing access to and awareness of opportunities in pharmacy education for under-represented populations.

Concordia’s award-winning proposal involves expanding work-based learning curriculum and resources for high school students interested in becoming pharmacy technicians in the Milwaukee region, an area in dire need of more entry-level pharmacy professionals.

Director of Pharmacy Recruitment Michael Pickart, PhD, worked with James Lokken, PharmD, associate professor of Pharmacy Practice, on the scholarship proposal. Together with Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee and the Southwest Milwaukee Consortium partners, they plan to grow the greater Milwaukee Youth Apprenticeship (YA) opportunities over the next year.

“We’re here because we can help Boys and Girls Club expand their career development programming for high school students in health care, especially for pharmacy,” Pickart said. “Concordia is well-positioned to do this because of our expertise in pharmacy and because of our existing service and outreach efforts in Milwaukee.”

Backed by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), Youth Apprenticeship (YA) is a statewide vocational training initiative that allows teens to begin earning paid, hands-on work experience in a chosen career field while still in high school. Each year, upwards of 8,000 youth from various consortiums throughout Wisconsin participate in YA, choosing from nearly eighty pathways within thirteen career areas, such as finance, manufacturing, information technology, and health science.