The Sierra Healthcare Industry Partnership (SHIP) is a regional collaborative serving healthcare employers, educators, workforce partners, and community organizations across Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Inyo, and Mono Counties. SHIP was launched in 2025 through a collaborative effort led by Dr. Jennifer Burrows, Mother Lode Job Training (MLJT), and the Central Sierra Economic Development District (CSEDD), with strong collaboration from regional education partners including Columbia College, whose role has been central in aligning healthcare education and training pathways with industry needs. SHIP was created as part of the Sierra Jobs First initiative, a regional effort to advance a community-led, inclusive, and resilient economic future for the Sierra region.

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SHIP builds upon the foundation established by the Mother Lode Healthcare Industry Partnership (MHIP), which was launched by Mother Lode Job Training (MLJT) in 2019 to convene healthcare employers, educators, and workforce partners in the Mother Lode and Central Sierra. MHIP was created as an industry partnership forum to elevate employer voice, share industry insights, and align workforce development and education with the evolving needs of the healthcare sector. Through regular convenings and targeted discussions, MHIP created space for healthcare leaders to engage around workforce trends, funding opportunities, labor market data, and strategic partnerships.

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As regional collaboration expanded and healthcare workforce challenges increasingly crossed county boundaries, SHIP emerged as the next iteration of this work—broadening the geographic scope to serve the full Sierra region while maintaining MHIP’s core emphasis on industry-led strategy, partnership building, and actionable workforce solutions. SHIP carries forward the lessons, relationships, and momentum established through MHIP, while creating a more inclusive, multi-county platform to support healthcare workforce development across the Sierra.

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SHIP’s public launch included two in-person regional convenings in 2025, bringing partners together from across the Sierra. The first convening was hosted on the West Side of the Sierras in Jamestown, CA on August 1, followed by a second convening on the East Side in Mammoth Lakes, CA on September 11. These gatherings highlighted shared workforce priorities, strengthened cross-regional relationships, and laid the foundation for ongoing collaboration through workgroups, partnerships, and resource sharing. You can view photos from both convenings in the gallery above.​