MedCerts is a leader in online career training programs, pioneering the way students learn and employers hire. Pulse 2.0 interviewed MedCerts CEO Craig Sprinkle to learn more about the company.
Craig Sprinkle’s Background
What is Craig Sprinkle’s background? Sprinkle said:
“I earned my Bachelor of Science in Finance, with a Corporate Financial Management concentration, from Ball State University, and prior to becoming CEO of MedCerts, I spent the past 20+ years as CFO of primarily private/private equity-backed marketing, financial, and ed tech services companies. I led the exit of many of these businesses, generating over $500 million in combined market value. During my time at MedCerts, I have overseen more than a 5x increase in enrollments and revenue, expansion of our product catalog to over 50 certification programs and diversification into career-focused courses, and have driven increased results in critical student outcomes such as completion, certification, and employment.”
Formation Of MedCerts
How did the idea for MedCerts come together? Sprinkle shared:
“In 2009, MedCerts was founded by four veterans of eLearning and training technology – Mark McManus Sr, Mark McManus, Jr. Joel Kestenberg, and Samson Chu – in an effort to make healthcare education more accessible. They saw a gap in the market for quality online training programs in the medical field that could quickly train students and workers to a very high professional standard. Our first program, and the development of video-based, instructor-led programming, was Medical Office Administration and Medical Billing and Coding content.”
“We initially focused our business on direct-to-student but then saw a need for fast, quality training in healthcare and higher education. Now business-to-business accounts for a large part of our success. We currently offer more than 50 programs in healthcare, information technology and professional, skills development, have helped over 100,000 students get closer to better-paying, more highly skilled careers and have over 1,000 partners in the healthcare, higher education and workforce spaces.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Sprinkle reflected:
“My favorite memory occurs nearly every day when I see the feedback from our students and employer partners noting that we have enabled them to make significant progress in either achieving a new career (students) or helping solve issues, such as filling critical vacancies through skilled workers and upskilling their existing workforce (employers).”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Sprinkle explained:
“MedCerts’ core product is online training for national certification, focused in the healthcare and IT industries. The majority of our training programs are custom-built through the collaboration of our in-house production team, education technological design team and using knowledge from industry-recognized subject matter experts. It’s incredibly important for us to stay ahead of the curve and utilize the latest technology to provide a more engaging and high-quality learning experience.”
“Our programs are all built using our proprietary 12 Elements of eLearning, which include game-based learning, augmented reality and screen-based simulations, to ensure students have an immersive, engaging learning experience. On the partnership side of our business, we offer several models for employers, higher education institutions, and workforce agencies to fill vacancies and provide more accessible higher education and career opportunities to individuals with a mission of building a network and affordable talent pipeline for all involved. Our Train-and-Hire model, for example, allows our partners to fill vacancies quickly and create an ongoing talent pipeline. We handle the recruitment and supply our custom online training, and then the partner can tailor any additional training to the needs of their organization and hire. One of our largest Train-and-Hire partners reported that 86 percent of the candidates they hired through MedCerts are still with the company after two years.”
Evolution Of MedCerts’ Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Sprinkle noted:
“In the five years since launching, we have consistently expanded the technology used in the development of our courses. We’ve evolved our 12 Elements of eLearning and made improvements to our in-program modules through 3D animations, augmented reality and simulated software applications. In 2022, we launched our first mobile app to accompany our Anatomy and Physiology course, which lets learners interact with the body’s internal systems in 3D. Additionally, in 2023 we launched our Mental Health Support Specialist program, which uses Conversational and Generative AI and Natural Language Processing (NPL) to provide more practical and engaging training to students. We continue to explore the latest technologies and will continue to incorporate them into our programs when we see a benefit for our students.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Sprinkle cited:
“Some of the most significant milestones we’ve experienced at MedCerts have been focused on making education more accessible to learners. Since 2012, we have been an approved school for the Department of Defense’s MyCAA grant for military spouses and, starting in 2019 gained approval as a vendor for the DOD’s Credentialing Assistance programs for the Army, Coast Guard and Air Force service members. We became a Stride family company in 2020, which has helped us reach more learners at every stage of their education and assisted us in building stronger partnerships across the country. Additionally, we reached major milestones, surpassing 50 program offerings in the healthcare and IT spaces in 2022 and launching our Partner Solutions brand in 2023.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Sprinkle affirmed:
“What makes MedCerts’ programs unique is a combination of the interactive, engaging programs I spoke about above and the support services we provide to every student. From enrollment, students receive personalized, one-on-one support from an enrollment counselor, a Student Success Advisor, subject matter experts, and a Career Coach. Unlike many other online programs, our students have a team of people to motivate, support, and assist them in completing their certification and finding a career in their field.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Sprinkle concluded:
“We continue to be focused on bringing tangible solutions to our partners and students that solve real issues they experience every day. To that end, we expect to continue diversifying our program and course offerings, which focus on critical skills and training that employers are seeking from candidates. We also plan to expand the avenues we provide our students with to further their education and training.”
“We intend to continue making inroads with high school students, ultimately equipping them with the combination of a high school diploma, a nationally recognized certification in either a healthcare, technology, or skilled trade occupation, and the opportunity to receive credit for any prior learning at the college level should they choose to continue their education. Partnering with educators at every level of academia and meeting employers where their needs are will allow us to work together to solve the critical worker shortages affecting many industries, especially healthcare.”
