Membership

MUS Member Spotlight

Organization Name: Skilltrade
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‍Executive Leader/Title: Sandy Mead, Vice President of Workforce Development
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‍Phone: 734-718-2515
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‍Email: smead@skilltrade.com
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‍Website & Social Media Links:
‍Website: skilltrade.com
‍LinkedIn: Sandy Mead
‍LinkedIn: Jason Aubrey

About Your Organization

Tell us about your organization’s mission and the communities you serve.
‍Skilltrade’s mission is to transform healthcare workforce training by providing short-term, hybrid programs that lead directly to national certification and employment. We serve job seekers, incumbent workers, and employers across the country, with a special focus on addressing staffing shortages in allied health roles such as Medical Assistants, Surgical Technicians, and Sterile Processing Technicians.At the heart of our approach is creating partnerships that bring employers and workforce boards together to design and deliver the training programs most needed in each region. This collaboration ensures that healthcare employers’ staffing needs are met while providing job seekers with successful career pathways into stable, high-growth healthcare careers.

‍What are the key services and programs you offer?

Hybrid Healthcare Training Programs: Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, Surgical Technician, and Sterile Processing Technician.
‍Externships & OJT Models: Hands-on experience combined with employer wage subsidies to drive hiring outcomes.
‍Workforce Board Partnerships: Approved ETPL programs across multiple states, leveraging WIOA and other funding streams.
‍Employer Solutions: Customized upskilling and tuition assistance programs for healthcare systems.
‍Career Exploration Courses: Free introductory modules (e.g., Intro to Medical Terminology) to help job seekers assess readiness and build confidence.
‍Apprenticeships: Delivering related technical instruction (RTI) for healthcare apprenticeship programs to support long-term career growth and employer workforce strategies.
‍Connector Role: Serving as the bridge between healthcare systems and workforce regions to create successful training initiatives that align employer needs with workforce board priorities and provide career pathways for job seekers.

‍Can you share a success story or an impactful moment from your work?
In Detroit, Skilltrade launched a pilot program in partnership with Detroit at Work and Focus: HOPE to address the high demand for open Medical Assistant positions across the region. Key employer partners include Corewell Health, Henry Ford Health, EPIC Health, and Advantage Health, who are working with us to ensure externship placements and employment opportunities. Students in this cohort are currently in their externship phase, and many are already receiving employment offers from these healthcare systems. This pilot demonstrates how workforce boards, community-based organizations, and employers can come together to fill urgent healthcare staffing needs while creating sustainable career pathways for residents.

‍MUS Membership & Collaboration

Why did you join MUS?

‍We were drawn to MUS because it is a partnership-focused group that thinks outside the box to meet the needs of our communities. MUS creates an environment where collaboration is intentional, building partnerships one organization at a time. This approach aligns with our mission to design training programs that simultaneously meet the needs of healthcare systems, workforce regions, and job seekers.

‍How has being a part of MUS benefited your organization so far?

‍Our very first MUS event helped spark the partnership relationships with Detroit at Work and Focus: HOPE, which are now leading to the successful training of Detroit residents for high-demand healthcare roles. Beyond introductions, the continual updates from MUS keep us informed about today’s political landscape, helping us better understand the needs of each region. This insight allows us to align our goals with workforce priorities and ensure our training solutions meet the evolving needs of healthcare employers and job seekers alike.

‍Are there any partnerships or collaborations that have grown from your MUS membership?

‍Yes, many valuable partnerships have grown from our MUS membership. Our collaboration with Detroit at Work and Focus: HOPE taught us the importance of leveraging partners to create braided supportive services and bringing employers into the training process from the very beginning — a model that drives success for all stakeholders.Through MUS, we also connected with Ron Stefanski of DisruptED, which led to podcast initiatives that provide a new marketing platform to showcase Skilltrade’s successes and the partnerships we are building. Another direct outcome was our introduction to STRIVE, where we are now developing a custom training initiative within their regions. Additionally, we have upcoming meetings with Employ Milwaukee to explore a potential partnership with the BioHealth Tech Hub, further expanding opportunities to align employer needs, workforce strategies, and career pathways for job seekers.

‍Fun Fact

‍Although Skilltrade is a young company, our leadership team has over 50 years of combined experience in workforce development and healthcare training. We’ve already launched pilots in more than five states within our first year, proving how quickly partnerships can turn into results.A fun twist, our training platform integrates 3D simulations, gamified learning, and immersive AI, where students actually interact with avatar patients. Learners often say it feels more like an interactive experience than traditional schooling, making training both engaging and realistic.At the same time, Skilltrade is not just a training provider. We believe in building community partnerships and connecting with employers from the very beginning of a training initiative to ensure successful outcomes for everyone involved. We also understand that quality customer service is key to student success, and we pride ourselves on providing the support that helps learners complete their training, earn certification, and move into rewarding healthcare careers.