Highmark, Delaware Tech Expand Healthcare Training

A $1 million Highmark grant helped Delaware Technical Community College open its Healthcare Center for Excellence in Dover.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Healthcare

Empty modern healthcare training room with clean hospital beds and an equipment cart under soft daylight from tall windows. — Delaware Technical Community College opened its Healthcare Center for Excellence in Dover after receiving a $1 million grant from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield to expand healthcare training. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield provided a $1 million BluePrints grant that supported Delaware Technical Community College in opening its Healthcare Center for Excellence at the Terry Campus in Dover. The partnership aims to build healthcare workforce capacity in Delaware.

Why it matters

Seniors are expected to make up a third of Delaware's population by 2040, creating growing demand for healthcare workers. The partnership targets that workforce need through training programs and student support.

Highmark's $1 million BluePrints grant funds the Healthcare Center for Excellence, with 703 enrollees across 13 programs since 2022 and an 86% completion rate. The source does not state how these figures compare with earlier cohorts or other providers.

The players

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield

Highmark is a health insurer and healthcare company that operates across several states and funds workforce programs through its BluePrints initiative.

Delaware Technical Community College

Delaware Technical Community College is the state's public two-year college system, offering career and technical training across its campuses.

The details

Delaware Tech renovated the Healthcare Center for Excellence at its Terry Campus in Dover, completed in 2024. Allied health students gain hands-on experience through clinical placements and EMT ride-alongs, and Highmark also established a scholarship endowment and funds for mental health care, childcare, transportation and food assistance.

2022: Enrollment in healthcare training programs began being counted.
2024: Renovations of the Healthcare Center for Excellence were completed.
2025: 237 program participants were certified.
2040: Seniors are projected to make up a third of Delaware's population.

Roadmap

Highmark's BluePrints program has directed grants toward workforce training in several communities, and this Delaware partnership extends that approach to the state's healthcare pipeline. The 15-year length of the partnership signals a long-term commitment rather than a one-time donation.

Residents seeking allied health or short-term certificate training may qualify for Highmark-funded scholarships through the new endowment. Students in these programs also have access to support for mental health care, childcare, transportation and food assistance.

The takeaway

Workforce pipelines for healthcare take years to build, so programs that pair training with student support services may matter more than the initial facility investment. Prospective students can check program completion and funding options before enrolling.